Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman apologized to Judge Keba Mbaya of Senegal, chairman of the IOC’s Ethics Commission, for his inappropriate remarks about Africans.
The Toronto delegation had requested an audience with Mbaya and was led by TO-Bid president and CEO John Bitove, and flanked by IOC members Canadians Dick Pound and Charmaine Crooks, as well as Sydney gold medallist Daniel Igali of Calgary and Lastman.
Judge Mbaye accepted the apology which ended a short, courteous session in the president’s quarters and the case was closed to everyone’s satisfaction.
But a report says that Judge Mbaye had condemned the mayor’s improper remarks, and said Lastman should not be allowed to be part of the Toronto presentation. “The African nations will draw their own conclusions” said the Judge, prior to Lastman’s apology.
The judge had proposed to the executive board of the IOC that the Toronto delegation should apologize publicly to the IOC and the African nations during Friday’s Toronto presentation.
George Gross of the Toronto Sun writes that “the obvious intention was to destroy the Toronto presentation and open the door even wider for Beijing’s selection as host city for 2008”. Grossman writes that Judge Mbaye seems to dislike Toronto.
Meanwhile Pound defended Canada’s integrity at the IOC executive board meeting. He told the 15 members: “We in Canada allow freedom of speech. In this particular case, Canadians have taken issue with Lastman’s remarks and condemned it”.
