NEWS

2004 fury at IOC meat jibe

The Athens 2004 organizing committee yesterday reacted angrily to disparaging remarks by a senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) official concerning the pace of Greece’s preparations for next summer’s Olympics. The committee president, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, phoned IOC President Jacques Rogge to complain about the comments by one of the IOC’s four vice presidents, Australian Kevan Gosper, who was quoted as saying the quality of the Athens Games is jeopardized by delays. «Athens runs the risk of being the distressful meat in the sandwich between two great Games [Sydney and Beijing],» he said, according to Melbourne’s Herald Sun, and warned that the IOC is thinking of putting its own people in key Athens 2004 positions. Athens 2004 sources said Angelopoulos-Daskalaki accused Gosper of seeking to undermine Greece’s reputation. The same sources said Gosper claimed his comments had been misinterpreted. Last month, Rogge complained Greece was foot-dragging in its Olympic preparations.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.