GUATEMALA CITY -- The United States remains without a voice
on the Olympics' most influential body, and that may not change
before 2010 at the earliest.
U.S. member Anita DeFrantz finished a distant last Saturday in
an election for a seat on the International Olympic Committee's
executive board, a result which she viewed as another sign of
global anti-American sentiment.
"We unfortunately are still in the least-favored nation
status," she said. "There is still a lot of work we have to do."
DeFrantz, a former Olympic rower who is a leading advocate for
women's advancement in sports, has been an IOC member since 1986.
She became the first woman elected as an IOC vice president in
1997. She ran for IOC president in 2001, but finished last in the
four-person race with nine votes.
On Saturday, DeFrantz received six votes in an election won by
incumbent Gerhard Heiberg of Norway with 49 votes. Spanish member
Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. -- son of the former IOC president -- was
second with 22 votes, and Algeria's Mustapha Larfaoui third with
15.
"I am stunned," DeFrantz said immediately after the vote. "I
hope this is not something to suggest that women cannot be elected
to the executive board again."
There is one woman on the 15-member board, vice president
Gunilla Lindberg of Sweden.
IOC president Jacques Rogge urged DeFrantz to stay on as chair
of the IOC's women and sports commission and said, "We count on
you very much to further promote the cause of women."
Asked later about DeFrantz's "least favored-nation" comment,
Rogge said: "I disagree with what my dear colleague is saying. I
respect her very much, but I don't share that view."
Jim Easton and Robert Ctvrtlik are the other U.S. members on the
IOC, which has 53 Europeans among its 115 members. Nine of the
board members are from Europe.
The U.S has been without representation on the executive body
since Easton lost his seat in elections in February 2006 at the
Turin Olympics. Before then, the U.S. had a continuous presence on
the board since 1989, except for a seven-month transition period in
2001-2.
Absence of an American member on the board won't help U.S.
efforts to land the 2016 Summer Olympics. Chicago is considered a
leading candidate for those games, which will be awarded in 2009.
Heiberg's re-election was not a surprise, though not even Rogge
expected him to win in the first round. The Norwegian is chairman
of the IOC marketing commission, and negotiates
multi-million-dollar global sponsorship deals. His victory was seen
as validation of his key role and an endorsement of Rogge.
"Obviously we're disappointed but we knew going in there was
only one slot available," said Ctvrtlik, the U.S. Olympic
Committee's international relations director. "It is an almost
impossible position going against the chairman of a marketing
commission.
"This was viewed as a vote of support and confidence for the
president and unfortunately Anita was caught in that."
Ctvrtlik said it's unlikely the U.S. will enter a candidate for
the board at the next annual IOC meetings in 2008 and 2009, and
that 2010 "would seem more logical."
Ctvrtlik, a former volleyball gold medalist, could be a
contender himself. However, his IOC athlete's term expires next
year, and the U.S. would have to find a way to get him reappointed
to the IOC.
"Maybe we take a few steps forward and a half a step back, but
the USOC is committed over the long term to be a good partner with
the Olympic movement," he said.
The elections came on the final day of the four-day IOC session
in Guatemala City. The centerpiece of the meeting was Wednesday's
selection of Sochi, Russia, as the host city for the 2014 Winter
Olympics. The Black Sea resort defeated Pyeongchang, South Korea,
and Salzburg, Austria.
Rogge said he would travel to Moscow soon to meet with President
Vladimir Putin and Russian sports officials to discuss plans for
the Sochi Games. Rogge was invited by Putin, who came to Guatemala
to lobby for Sochi, joining the government leaders of Austria and
South Korea.
Rogge said the IOC, as part of a traditional review after each
bid city campaign, would audit the financial accounts of the 2014
candidates. Some IOC members have expressed concern at the high
costs, with the Russians and Koreans reportedly spending more than
U$40 million on their bids.