Following the announcement of Canadian Dick Pound’s appointment as head of a new Olympic Games Study Commission, several other appointments were announced Monday by IOC President Jacques Rogge.
U.S. Olympic officials have been given new positions on key advisory boards within the IOC. U.S. Olympic Committee president Sandy Baldwin and CEO Lloyd Ward will serve on the IOC’s powerful marketing commission. Also, U.S. IOC member Jim Easton was re-appointed to the commission.
Baldwin said, “It certainly indicates that the IOC indeed does want us more involved, and I think they know we want to be good partners”.
According to USA Today, Baldwin is likely to be elected an IOC member next month while Easton also plans to run for the spot on the IOC executive board.
Baldwin, and U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz, were named to a panel that will review reforms put in place after the Salt Lake City Olympics bid scandal. The findings will be reported to and voted on by IOC members in November.
Meanwhile, Marc Hodler of Switzerland, who blew the whistle on the Salt Lake bribery scandal, was replaced as head of the finance commission, a post he has held since 1989, by Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico.
German lawyer Thomas Bach replaces Keba Mbaye of Senegal as chairman of the legal commission, former Olympic hurdler Guy Drut of France is to head a new international relations commission and Italy’s Franco Carraro heads the program commission which is examining which sports should be included at the Beijing Olympics and beyond.
And Rogge himself will head the new TV and Internet Rights Commission, which will handle rights fees negotiations.
