Documents expose IOC sleaze

ATLANTA, SEPT 18: Newly-released records of Atlanta Olympics officials portray some International Olympic Committee members as dishonest...

ATLANTA, SEPT 18: Newly-released records of Atlanta Olympics officials portray some International Olympic Committee members as dishonest8217; and sleaze bags8217; and show that Atlanta officials bidding for the 1996 Games knew about such reputations early on. The documents, included in eight boxes, were released yesterday by Atlanta organisers who fought for months to keep them secret.

The eight boxes also contain dossiers on each IOC member, including several mentions of who could be bought and who would welcome gifts or extra travel.One memo said an IOC member is greedy 8230; And can be bought.8217; There is one direct reference to an IOC member8217;s sexual preference, and several other indirect references. The dossiers were compiled by a paid consultant who previously worked on anchorage, Alaska8217;s unsuccessful bid for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Other references to the IOC8217;s corrupt reputation include a memo dated August 8, 1988, written by committee member Horace Sibley.

In it, Sibley described a conversation withRJR Nabisco executive John Martin, who previously negotiated Olympic network television rights for ABC and described IOC members as sleaze bags.8217;

Martin said they could not be trusted and were not the kind of people RJR Nabisco wanted to associate with, Sibley wrote.

Sibley also wrote that the bid committee was 8220;fully aware of this 8230; And we were on our full guard in our effort.8221;

And England IOC member Mary Glen-Haig thought 8220;cities spend too much money and bring out the worst in some of her dishonest colleagues,8221; according to a memo from former Atlanta olympics chief Billy Payne dated May 1, 1990.The boxes were released after a prolonged legal struggle between Payne and several Atlanta news organisations, which sued to have the records opened.