BBC stings; officials sing

Two senior members of the Olympic movement told undercover journalists posing as business agents they could corrupt the 2012 Olympic bidding...

Two senior members of the Olympic movement told undercover journalists posing as business agents they could corrupt the 2012 Olympic bidding process, BBC TV alleges.

On Tuesday, one of those implicated denied the claims to be made during a one hour-long Panorama programme. The other could not be contacted immediately.

Bulgarian International Olympic Committee IOC member Ivan Slavkov said he and an agent had been launching their own counter-operation to catch people trying to 8216;8216;entrap8217;8217; Olympic officials.

In the most damaging scenes from the programme, already the subject of an IOC investigation, Slavkov is shown discussing ways to secure votes for 2012.

The programme also shows Olympic Council of Asia OCA director general Muttaleb Ahmad explain how he can influence IOC votes, stirring memories of the Salt Lake City corruption scandal that rocked the movement six years ago.

Slavkov then sits quietly as the reporters hold discussions with the agent, Goran Takatch, who arranged the meeting. The cost of any help by Slavkov was included in figures previously given by Takatch to the BBC reporters 8212; a total of up to 3.4 million euros for influencing up to 20 IOC members.

Slavkov on Tuesday released a letter he had sent in reply to an inquiry from Panorama after the meeting.

nbsp;	Candid camera

		nbsp;	8226; BBC undercover reporters, posing as consultants acting for London businessmen, ask Slavkov: 8216;8216;Have you already decided where your allegiances lie?8217;8217; 8216;8216;Not yet,8217;8217; Slavkov replies. BBC: 8216;8216;Not yet, so you8217;re open to negotiations?8217;8217; Slavkov: 8216;8216;Yes.8217;8217; BBC: 8216;8216;So how do you encourage people to see the benefits?8217;8217; Slavkov: 8216;8216;I would say the different approach. Some are businessmen and they are interested in favours.8217;8217; BBC: 8216;8216;Yes, they want favours.8217;8217; Slavkov: 8216;8216;Yes, in some areas they are interested.8217;8217; BBC: 8216;8216;So you think you may be able to offer them a business contract or8230;8217;8217; Slavkov: 8216;8216;Yes, yes. The others just believe in sport.8217;8217; Story continues below this ad	nbsp;

Slavkov, accused in the Salt Lake scandal but later cleared, said he had been approached by Takatch with a plan to 8216;8216;sting8217;8217; a group of corrupt businessmen, in fact the BBC reporters.

8216;8216;Having paid a heavy price to media harassment after 1998, I also felt that the real hooligans should be brought into light, and I accepted to meet with the 8216;corrupters8217;,8217;8217; he wrote.

8216;8216;I could not imagine that they were your paid provocateurs. Whatever I could say during this meeting was intended to trap the 8216;corrupters8217;.8217;8217;

He added in the letter that Takatch had also informed IOC vice-president Vitaly Smirnov, who had then told IOC president Jacques Rogge about the plan to meet the consultants. Reuters