The Toronto Star says that IOC vce president Dick Pound’s chances at becoming the new IOC president next year when Juan Antonio Samaranch steps down, and Toronto’s 2008 bid, depend very much on the circumstances at the time that decisions have to be made.
According to the newspaper, Samaranch’s term expires July 16 and Toronto’s 2008 bid will be voted on by the IOC on July 13. If there are crises in the Olympic world next summer, IOC members will want a president who knows the issues and can act decisively. That would work for Pound, says the newspaper.
And if there are problems in the Olympics, the IOC might want a safe choice for 2008 and opt for Toronto or Paris rather than Beijing.
But if things look smooth, IOC members will be more likely to take a chance on Beijing, and on Pound’s chief rival for the IOC position, Jacques Rogge of Belgium. Rogge is in charge of the IOC’s co-ordination commission for the Sydney Games.
