International Olympic Committee president in U.S., but relations still prickly
By Asher Feldman, Daily Trojan
In the midst of the athletic department’s yearlong celebration of USC’s Olympic successes, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge spoke Wednesday at Town & Gown as part of Annenberg’s Sports and Social Change Speaker Series.
The discussion, hosted by Alan Abrahamson, a professor of journalism, covered a variety of topics, including the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and focused on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“The 1984 Olympics left a tremendous legacy for this city,” Rogge said.
Because Italian Premier Mario Monti had ended Rome’s bid for the 2020 Summer Games because of financial concerns on Tuesday, the conversation turned quickly to the sustainability of the Olympic ideal and the impact of real-world incidents on the Games.
“Sport is not in a vacuum,” Rogge said. “Sport is part of society.”
Scott Blackmun, CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, also spoke at the event and highlighted the financial and logistical difficulty of hosting the Olympic Games on U.S. soil, stating the USOC was hesitant to submit a bid for the 2022 Winter Games.
Tahoe-Reno wants to host those Games, as does Denver and Park City. But with the U.S. Olympic Committee and the IOC still unable to reach a financial deal, the chance of the U.S. as a host city in 2022 is dimming.