Nagano Governor Yasuo Tanaka says he will push for more government inquiries into excesses he helped uncover about Nagano’s successful bid against Salt Lake City for the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.
He told the Deseret Morning News that he launched his own investigation in an effort “to uncover the true facts behind the bid. Serious doubts had already been raised by many citizens about the activities” of the regional government at that time.
The Nagano Prefacture Investigation Group Report said that nearly $544,000 in souvenirs was given to members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) even though the IOC gift limit then was just $200 per member, and $4.4 million was spent on entertainment alone.
The governor said that while the investigation group “does not possess any legal authority, the discovery of proven facts has at least provided an answer to citizens’ doubts and questions”.
Tanaka was elected after Nagano hosted the Games on a pledge to reopen the investigation into the bid. He told the newspaper, “of particular concern was the destruction of the accounting records…(which led) to considerable general distrust”.
He added that he will see if the more power Prefectural Assembly, similar to a state legislature, “is willing to carry out further investigations and also explore what kind of action citizens would take to express their will”.
The IOC said it would pass on any further investigation.
