Reuters reports that a source within Salzburg’s bid committee for the 2014 Winter Games said Friday that Salzburg 2014 executive directors Gernot Leitner and Rudolf Holler wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) complaining about comments from Peter Ronningen, chief operating officer for the 1994 Lillehammer Games who has admitted he had advised Sochi, one of Salzburg’s competitors for the 2014 bid, before it went in front of the IOC’s bid evaluation commission.
It seems that Ronningen said in a news agency interview this week that Salzburg officials had amazed him by comparing their planned Olympics with the successful edition of the Lillehammer Games.
Salzburg officials said the comment broke IOC bidding rules as Ronningen had advised the Russian city of Sochi on at least one occasion.
According to the IOC rules of conduct the cities must refrain from any act or comment likely to tarnish the image of a rival city or be prejudicial to it. Any comparison with other cities is strictly forbidden.
Ronningen had told AFP that Salzburg was “sending the wrong message” by linking it with the reputation of the Lillehammer Games in Norway as they campaigned to host the Olympics.
“When I hear Salzburg invoke the name of the Lillehammer Games and say they are the candidate which most reflects them, then I have to scratch my head in amazement”, he said.
He added that it was Sochi’s bid that was similar to Lillehammer’s.
