Wednesdav. August 24, 1977
University Daily Kansan
13
Cities stop standing in line to host Olympic games
DUBLIN (UPI) — The bloodshed at Munich and the political wrangling that eclipsed even the spiraling costs at Montreal have made Olympic Games a prime candidate for a sudden, disastrous extinction.
But according to Lord Killian, president of the International Olympic Committee, the demise of the Olympics may come much sooner than when nobody offers to host the games any propto
"I think it would be unfortunate but possible that
"It would be unfortunate but possible that there would only be one city—an American city—bidding for the 1984 games. I think all the others, mainly for political and economic reasons, don't want to get in touch with the moment," Killian said in an interview.
"I think it would be unfortunate but possible that there would be only one city—an American city—bidding for the 1984 (summer) games."
York or New Orleans, with the U.S. Olympic Committee about to choose one of the three for its official backing. IOC sources tip Los Angeles as the heaviest favorite.
There were four candidates for the 1976 summer games, two for the 1980 version and now one. The arithmetic isn't lost on Killanin.
ON CCT 11, the bids for the 1984 Olympics will close, and while there is no shortage of candidates for the less expensive and politically calmer winter games, only one country appears ready to make a serious bid for the summer games.
The U.S. city will be Los Angeles, New
THE ESCALATING expense and the political hassles didn't frighten away Moscow or Lake Placid, and now the Soviet capital and the small New York State ski resort are finding out the problems that company a successful Olympic candidacy.
"I am watching Moscow very, very closely," Killinan said. "But so much can depend on the relationships of the major powers at the time. The first Carter impact would be a detrimental defeat. You can create the atmosphere in which the Games have to take place."
—Lord Killanin, president of the International Olympic Committee
Killinnan said that he was happy with the progress that each host was making but that there always would be problems. With Moscow, political considerations were a worry, while Lake Placid the values of television coverage had raised a major obstacle.
The U.S. Soviet rivalry was worrying in another respect, too.
"THERE is no doubt at all that Moscow is anxious to run the Games extremely well,
and there is no doubt after that that the United States will want to show that they can do them better. And that is where we have this terrifying competition between organizing committees instead of between athletes.
"We are powerless. We say there must be X number of sports over 17 days and accommodation for athletes, officials and staff. You say you must build a 10,000 seat stadium."
At Lake Placid, which is attempting to make the Winter Olympics smaller and easier to attend.
"I agree with Lake Placid that things should be simple, but they have got to be fresh."
Pacific placecs on development and funding are all very favorable, but there is this very big problem with the United States in that, for example, there is no state television company."
THE PROBLEM that has arisen is that a state network usually provides other companies around the world with pictures. But because of the particular problems of Lake Flacid's terrain, the expense will be greater than ABC, which has been awarded the contract.
The European Broadcasting Union has already said it won't pay the huge costs associated with getting the signal out of a cloud unless some compromise is reached.
Killinnan said the contract with ABC hadn't yet been signed. There appeared no danger that ABC would lose the contract, but he also said they very important issues had to be settled.
Some politicians have been eying the IOC rather recently, and a move by UNESCO to investigate the administration of the IOC is now in progress. Some ripples of alarm among IOC members.
"PEOPLE ARE very worried that UNESCO is going to take over everything. But I'm not worried because I believe the majority of the more sensible people realize that they can only cooperate and coordinate but not run sport," Killanin said.
"I if I felt that UNESCO was going to succeed in dominating sport on political grounds, I would be extremely worried don't think this is what sport is about."
Killinnan believes there have been two important changes since he became president in 1972. "I think Rule 26 (on amateurism) was the most important change, but now it is not spoken about," he said.
Was that because it was totally successful?" Not necessarily successful. I just thought it was really successful.
THE NEW rule has taken much of the hypocrisy from the definition of an amateur but still leaves room for major abuses, particularly in equipment sports such as diving. The New Rule will increase income of hundreds of thousands of dollars without the loss of amateur status.
"The other thing, which I have not been directly responsible for but have encouraged, is the development of the medical side. We have been able to coordinate a lot of things that other bodies have been unable to do. In this case, we have kerioid tests. We have pioneers in that."
Killinan's eight-year term of office will be up during the Moscow Olympics in 1800. Will he follow the example of Avery Bruntage, or OIC president, and seek another spell?
"There's a lot of pressure on me to run and, but my ulcer says 'No, eight years is enough.' I think there are an adequate years, and I still think eight years is enough, really."