The 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal was a scandal involving allegations of bribery to obtain the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before 1995, the city had attempted several times to secure the games, but failed each time. Then that year Salt Lake City was announced as the host city, but in 1998 the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were accused of taking bribes from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC). Image File history File links 2002_Winter_Olympics_logo. ... A scandal is a widely publicized incident involving allegations of wrong-doing, disgrace, or moral outrage. ... Bribery is the practice of offering a professional money or other favours in order to circumvent ethics in a variety of professions. ... (Redirected from 2002 Winter Olympic Games) The XIX Olympic Winter Games were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Crossroads of the West Location Location of Salt Lake City in Salt Lake County, Utah Coordinates , Government County Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson Geographical characteristics Area     City 285. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq. ... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ...

Early bid attempts

Almost from the moment the Olympic Winter Games were created in the 1920s, Salt Lake City had tried to win the honor of hosting the games. Dry powdery snow and several ski resorts in the vicinity make it an ideal location for winter sports activities. Salt Lake failed on several occasions to obtain the games: A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or high-end accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. ...

• 1932 Winter Olympic Games. In 1929, only five years after the first games in Chamonix, France, Salt Lake City attempted for the first time to bid for the Winter Olympics. The Utah Ski Club tried to procure the 1932 games for Salt Lake, but they went to Lake Placid, New York instead. Due to early Olympic rules (which have since changed) Salt Lake could not bid for the 1936 games in Germany, since the summer game host had rights to the winter games.

• 1972 Winter Olympic Games. Salt Lake City's second attempt was more organized. State and city officials got the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to endorse the city, but they again lost, this time to Sapporo, Japan.

• 1976 Winter Olympic Games. The USOC picked Denver, Colorado over Salt Lake City to represent the United States in bidding. Denver won the bid, but taxpayers voted against funding the games. Salt Lake put itself forward as a candidate, but in the fallout, the games were awarded to Innsbruck, Austria, who had recently hosted in 1964.

• 1992 Winter Olympic Games. Salt Lake City did not try to bid again until 1985 for the 1992 games, but the USOC went with Anchorage, Alaska. After Anchorage lost both in 1992 and 1994, Salt Lake was back in the running for 1998.

(Redirected from 1932 Winter Olympic Games) The III Olympic Winter Games were held in Lake Placid, New York, USA and opened on February 4, 1932. ... Panorama of Chamonix valley Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc seen from Le Brévent, a paraglider is in the foreground Chamonix Valley seen from the south Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, or more commonly, Chamonix is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the... Lake Placid is a village of 2,638 in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, near the center of the Town of North Elba and named after an adjacent lake. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... (Redirected from 1972 Winter Olympic Games) The XI Olympic Winter Games were held in 1972 in Japan. ... For USOC in telephony, see Universal Service Ordering Code. ... Sapporo scene Sapporo White Illumination Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. ... (Redirected from 1976 Winter Olympic Games) The XII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Mile-High City Location Location of Denver in Colorado Coordinates , Government City-County Denver (coextensive) Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 154. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. ... (Redirected from 1992 Winter Olympic Games) The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held in 1992 in France. ... Flag Nickname: The City of Lights and Flowers Location Location in the state of Alaska Coordinates , Government Borough Municipality of Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,961. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,854 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

The winning bid

Ogden-born lawyer Tom Welch and car salesman Dave Johnson were in charge of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and took an aggressive approach to winning the Olympics. They flew out to Europe to meet with the International Olympic Committee members. They also convinced taxpayers to advance $59 million from state sales tax revenues to build various winter sports venues, even without the guarantee of the Games. Ogden sign over Washington Boulevard at the Ogden River; toward downtown John Moses Browning (January 21, 1855 – November 26, 1926), born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of weapons which were used in the U.S. military for decades in the 20th century. ... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ...

Even after all of this, the 1998 Games went to Nagano, Japan in a 46-to-42 vote. Many felt the reason was because the US had recently been awarded the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Others, including Welch, believed it was because Nagano had wined and dined the officials better. The XVIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. ... Categories: Host cities of the Winter Olympic Games | Cities in Nagano Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach Location Location in Fulton and DeKalb counties in the state of Georgia Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Georgia Fulton County, Georgia DeKalb County, Georgia Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 132. ... Lobbying is the professional practice of public affairs advocacy, with the goal of influencing a governing body by promoting a point of view. ...

Welch and Johnson decided to try harder the next round. Prior to the IOC vote for 1998, they had given out Stetson hats to delegates. For 2002 they decided to give out more than hats. The Stetson Cavalry Hat For the university, see Stetson University. ...

Millions were spent on perks including all-expense-paid ski trips, thirteen scholarships, Super Bowl trips, and plastic surgery. IOC members were given deals on real estate, and their family members were given jobs. It is also rumored that professional "escorts" may have been provided to some of the visiting delegates to Salt Lake City. More controversially, cash bribes may have been employed. When the scandal broke, the cryptic "geld document" allegedly recorded personal preferences of IOC members. Beside some members' names, the document contained the word "geld", (German for "money") arguably indicating such members' receptiveness to cash bribes. The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services. ... An example of Money. ...

The plan worked, for in 1995 the IOC announced Salt Lake City the winner. 50,000 people gathered outside the Salt Lake City and County Building to hear the formal announcement. The Salt Lake City and County Building, seat of city government since 1894 The Salt Lake City and County Building, usually called the City-County Building, is the seat of government for Salt Lake City, Utah. ...

Scandal

Scandal broke on December 10, 1998 when Swiss IOC member Marc Hodler, head of the coordination committee overseeing the organization of the 2002 games, announced that several members of the IOC had taken bribes. Soon four independent investigations were underway: by the IOC, the USOC, the SLOC, and the United States Department of Justice. December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Justice Department redirects here. ...

Before any of the investigations could even get under way both Welch and Johnson resigned their posts as the head of the SLOC. Many others soon followed. The Department of Justice filed charges against the two: fifteen charges of bribery and fraud. Johnson and Welch were eventually acquitted of all criminal charges in December 2003.

As a result of the investigation ten members of the IOC were expelled and another ten were sanctioned. This was the first expulsion or sanction for corruption in the more than a century the IOC had existed. Although nothing strictly illegal had been done, it was felt that the acceptance of the gifts was morally dubious. Stricter rules were adopted for future bids and ceilings were put into place as to how much IOC members could accept from bid cities. Additionally new term and age limits were put into place for IOC membership, and fifteen former Olympic athletes were added to the committee.

Although Salt Lake was not the first city to use creative bid tactics, it was the first to use them to such an extent, as well as the first to get caught. There were also allegations that Atlanta, Nagano and Sydney had used similar tactics. In 2006, a report ordered by the Nagano region's governor said the Japanese city provided millions of dollars in an "illegitimate and excessive level of hospitality" to IOC members, including $4.4 million spent on entertainment alone. [1] This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Categories: Host cities of the Winter Olympic Games | Cities in Nagano Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and since its opening it has become an international symbol of Sydney Sydney (pronounced ) is the state capital of New South Wales, located on the east coast of Australia. ... Categories: Host cities of the Winter Olympic Games | Cities in Nagano Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ...

Aftermath

Mitt Romney

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was brought in to head the SLOC. Romney aided in further cleaning out of the committee and helped to begin fixing the budget, which at the time was USD $379 million short, and renewing sponsor enthusiasm. Mitt Romney. ... Mitt Romney. ... Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is the 70th Governor of Massachusetts. ...

Romney helped the Games back on their feet. TheGames were so successful that they were one of the few in recent history to turn a profit, thanks in part to heavy marketing and a built-in American audience. At final tally, the 2002 Games made a profit of USD $100 million, the largest for any Winter Games so far. Only the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles has made more: USD $225 million. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Product marketing be merged into this article or section. ... Audio samples composed by John Williams: Olympic Fanfare (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Olympic Theme (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Problems playing the files? See media help. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

References

• Benson, Lee, (2001). Lee Benson's Inside Guide to the Games 2002 Salt Lake City, Provo, Utah: CP Grafix, Deseret Publishing Company. ISBN 0-9709066-0-9
• Benson, Lee; Easton-Black, Susan, (2000). Salt Lake 2002: an Official Book of the Olympic Winter Games, Shadow Mountain Press. ISBN 1-57345-795-7
• Jennings, Andrew, (2000). The Great Olympic Swindle: When the World Wanted Its Games Back, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-86677-3
• KSL.com report on the total profits of the game

External links

• Olympic Bribery Scandal essay
• BBC timeline of Olympic bid scandal