LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Declaring that the Olympic Games are the most important event in the world, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch placed himself in charge of the International Olympic Committee's much-touted reform Wednesday.
"The world needs the Olympic Games. It is the most important event in the world -- not only sport, the most important event in the world," Samaranch said.He said the IOC did its best during the two-day emergency session to deal with the fallout from the Salt Lake bid-buying scandal. "We did what we promised."
That included setting up a process for reform.
Samaranch named himself chairman of the newly created IOC 2000 Commission. The 20 to 24 members have yet to be announced but will be split between members of the IOC and "leading personalities who understand sport." Henry Kissinger is among the names being mentioned.
Their job will be to come up with reforms in the bidding process for the Olympic Games as well as in the structure of the IOC itself, including how the IOC distributes the money it earns. Their work is to be completed by the end of the year.
All Samaranch had to say when asked about why he was put in charge of the reform commission was "because I am the president of the International Olympic Committee, and this commission must be presided over by the president."
Samaranch also had little to say about the questions raised by the decisions and disclosures. He preferred to focus on two key actions taken Tuesday. Members overwhelmingly supported Samaranch in a vote of confidence, then went along with his wishes in expelling six members involved in the Salt Lake scandal.
"It was not very pleasant to discipline members of our organization, but it had to be done and it was done," Samaranch said. He said he was surprised only two members voted against him.
Kevan Gosper of Australia, a member of the IOC Executive Board, was quick to defend Samaranch's appointment. "If I was running the organization, I would certainly chair any reform group," Gosper told reporters.
The IOC 2000 Commission recommendations could be voted on in another special session of the IOC in December. Typically, the entire IOC only meets once a year. This year's regular meeting is set for June.
Earlier in the day, the IOC released a financial report audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers that showed the organization had more than $135 million sitting in the bank as of the end of last year.
The financial report revealed the organization is spending more than $200,000 a year to cover Samaranch's living expenses in this Swiss city on the shores of Lake Geneva.
IOC officials also acknowledged that top members receive $1,000 for attending meetings, even though their travel, hotel rooms, meals and other expenses are paid.
Changes were also announced in how the site of the 2006 Winter Games will be selected at the June session. IOC members were also told they could not visit the six cities scattered throughout Europe.
When Salt Lake City was picked to host the 2002 Winter Games, all of the IOC members voted. The goal during the bid, in fact, was to get as many of them to visit Salt Lake City as possible.
But that helped lead to the scandal that implicated nearly one-third of the IOC and resulted in four members quitting, 10 receiving warnings and the six being expelled. Another member connected to the crisis died.
Salt Lake bidders were accused of passing out millions of dollars in lavish gifts, college scholarships, trips to the Super Bowl and other places, and cash payments to IOC members.
Another commission created Wednesday by the IOC will deal with ethical matters. That group will also be headed by an IOC leader, Keba Mbaye, a former World Court judge from Senegal.
Fewer than half of the seven or eight members are expected to be from the IOC. The only member announced so far is Denis Oswald, an IOC member from Switzerland.
Samaranch said the $1,000 given to the 11 members of the IOC Executive Board every time they attend a meeting "is really pocket money." The IOC Executive Board typically meets four times a year.
Most of the 108 members, however, get $150 a day per diem while attending most meetings. All of their travel and hotel costs are covered, but they have to pay for their own lunch and dinner.
Gosper said the executive board members need money to cover incidentals such as taxis and telephone calls. "I don't apologize for it. You can print that," he said.