IOC member Dick Pound is being replaced as marketing head of the International Olympic Committee by Norway’s Gerhard Heiberg.
Pound has negotiated many of the sponsorship and television deals, which generated billions of dollars, for the IOC the past 20 years.
Pound resigned as head of the marketing commission last July after finishing third in the IOC presidential election, which was won by Jacques Rogge.
In a statement Pound said, “upon careful reflection, I think after almost 20 years of discharging these responsibilities, it is time for a change. The best time for a change is when everything is operating smoothly”.
Rogge said he regretted Pound’s decision. “I take the opportunity to personally on behalf of the Olympic movement than Mr. Pound for everything he has done. He leaves behind a strong team and long-term agreements in place that ensure the future funding of the Olympic movement”.
Pound remains as chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He said he hoped to bring the “same energy, focus and success” to the fight against doping as he did in marketing.
Rogge said, “I am grateful that Mr. Pound has agreed to devote his considerable talents and energies to this critical challenge, and that he will be prepared to accept other important responsibilities beyond leading the World Anti-Doping Agency forward”.
Heiberg was head of the organizing committee of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He is chairman of Norscan Partners and sits on various company boards in banking, petroleum and service industries.
According to the IOC, Heiberg will take up his new position at the Salt Lake Games.
