- 12 Dec 08, 02:28 PM
I've been in the Swiss town they call the Olympic capital this week talking to the movers and shakers of international sport.
The conversations in Lausanne, where the International Olympic Committee is based, soon got around to the impact of the global financial crisis on sport and the government and London 2012 faced criticism.
Jizhong Wei, the new head of the International Volleyball Federation, told me he was disappointed with last week's decision by UK Sport to cut funding to eight of Britain's lower-profile sports including his.
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"The Games are not just about winning medals," the Chinese official said. London 2012 does have an obligation to promote all Olympic sports.
As I've reported before, 2012's cost-cutting plans to scrap a temporary venue at Greenwich for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics and move the sports to Wembley is worrying officials because it goes against the promise that competitors should compete - not commute.
But even in the IOC's splendid HQ on the banks of Lake Geneva with a squad of black Mercedes and chauffeurs standing by outside, there is a growing sense of financial realism.
IOC President Jacques Rogge knows that he may not sign the all-important TV rights deal for the United States for the 2016 summer Games before the host is chosen in a vote next year.
In the days of plenty these billions of dollar deals would be signed and sealed way before the vote and the IOC could count the cash in its Swiss bank accounts.
I put it to Rogge that the vote will be too dominated by money, given that American networks are likely to pay more for a city like Chicago winning than Rio, Madrid or Tokyo.
He denied this but the IOC is playing big business games with its TV rights. ESPN and Fox are expected to challenge current holders NBC in the American market and in Europe the whole way the rights have been organised is set for a major revamp.
But should sport always just sell to the highest bidder?
When this economic crisis is over, the Olympic world is likely to look very different but the jury's out on whether the Games and its sports will be in better shape.
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Comments
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It's too soon for another American games - it would virtually be the third in a generation.
The ideal scenario is probably Rio winning - it'll take the games somewhere new, but in a timezone which should give the US networks something to work with.
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I was amused by Adrian's related piece for BBC London depicting the IOC's 'splendid' Lausanne HQ as a ivory tower staffed by out-of-touch plutocrats for whom the global economic recession is nothing more than a distant annoyance.
As one of these plutocrats - I'm a senior manager here at the IOC - this kind of idle stereotyping is pretty annoying to say the least.
IOC staff and members come from all over the world, and from many diverse backgrounds, we know very well how the crisis is affecting families, businesses and individuals in Sydney, Detroit, Frankfurt and Manchester.
I'm from Oldham, Lancashire, where the economic downturn is biting hard - my older brother has been made redundant after 25 years with the same manufacturing company.
That's why everyone in the Olympic Movement is determined that the Olympic Games deliver "excellence without extravagance". Managed properly, they really can be a unique opportunity to drive public and private investment and in the process inspire and excite the entire world.
And by the way, if you want to see a lavish HQ building, you should pass by the BBC's White City offices sometime....
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What is it with you Mr. Warner? I always thought the BBC was meant to have BALANCED reporting. And 99.9% of the time the BBC is fantastic.
However you are letting down your entire organisation with your one sided views and articles on the London Olympics. Every report you do is negative or wrapped in some "we can't do this" message.
You clearly don't support the London Games, and that is fair enough, however with your "journalism" you are showing yourself to be unable to report sensibly on any issue without constantly spinning to your own opinion.
I support the Games in London, but I also appreciate that some don't AND that the organising committee MUST be held to account to ensure that every penny is spent to make the Games and their legacy a success.
It would be good if you could bring yourself to do a positive piece on the Games.
Go on show yurself to be a serious and objective journalist, not just somebody who uses the BBC to transmit his own views.
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Kwickscull, I'm fascinated by your comments.
The other day a bloke came up to me in a pub in central London and said: "You're that guy who does the Olympics on BBC London, aren't you? You must really love the 2012 Olympics. You are so positive about them." There was a brief pause while he ordered a pint of lager. Then he added: " I hate the Olympics."
The one thing you learn as a reporter is that you can't satisfy everybody all of the time.
For the record, I regard the day London won the Games in Singapore as one of the most exciting days of my 22-year career in journalism.
But my job is not to be a cheerleader. It is to examine everything in detail -- from the budget to where London 2012 are going to play the badminton events.
And, by the way, I leave my political and personal views at the door when I enter a newsroom. I learned that the first day I began working for Reuters in Fleet Street in 1986.
If you watch BBC London regularly, you will see that I quiz Tessa Jowell equally as hard on the Olympics as I quiz Boris Johnson. They would both tell you that.
And, if you have a look at some of the blogs, you will also see that I highlight the positive aspects of the Games -- take a look at the piece on the improvement of the rivers around the Park.
Keep watching BBC London and you'll see.
best wishes
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