Former IOC President Samaranch dies: Pushed for the Inclusion of Women in Sport

[Bluebear]

Source: NY Times

Juan Antonio Samaranch’s reign over the Olympic movement was tarnished by doping and bribery scandals. But to some, his successes as president of the International Olympic Committee far outweighed his failures, especially regarding one issue that remained dear to him: promoting women in sports.

“It’s one of his greatest legacies,” Jacques Rogge, the current I.O.C. president, said Wednesday in a teleconference. “People tend to forget that in 1980, when Samaranch was elected, that the I.O.C. was a very conservative, men-only club.”

When Samaranch, who died Wednesday of heart failure in Barcelona, Spain, took charge of the I.O.C., there was not one woman in the organization. And at that time, in 1980, only 18 percent of the athletes at the Olympics were women, Rogge said. But Samaranch, who ruled the I.O.C. until 2001, made it a priority to change the status quo, pushing for women’s inclusion in Olympic sports — at all levels.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/sports/olympics/22olympics.html

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. The I.O.C. would have progressively added women

to the organization and as athletes with or without Samaranch. As far as Samaranch goes, he and a small group, have enriched themselves through bribery for decades.

[Psephos]

2. R.I.P.

In this case, that stands for "Roast In Perpetuity."

Corrupt right down to the marrow, and dripping with self-entitlement and arrogance. The Leona Helmsley of international sport.

Buh-bye.

[Redemption Seeker]

3. This man was no saint!