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Inside the Olympics: A Behind-the-scenes Look at the Politics, the Scandals, and the Glory of the Games

Inside the Olympics: A Behind-the-scenes Look at the Politics, the Scandals, and the Glory of the Games

by Dick Pound (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2004

    $3.22
Synopsis

A candid look at how the Olympic rings got so tarnished-from a top IOC insider Bribery, illicit drugs, tainted judges, dirty politics ...the Olympics have come a long way from ancient Greece. Far from the vaunted symbol of athletic excellence, the Olympic games have become awash in scandal (from doping and judging scandals, questionable selection practices for future sites) that have given it a tawdry luster only cynics and news junkies would relish. Now, Dick Pound, a former Olympic medalist and twenty-five year member of the IOC gives an insider's account of the politics within the IOC as well as an unsensationalistic look at what went on behind the headlines. As controversial as the games themselves have become, Inside the Olympics is a fascinating, no-holds-barred look at just how the Olympics and their legacy have foundered. Richard W. Pound (Montreal, Canada) has been a member of the International Olympic Committee for twenty-five years. He was a member of the IOC Executive Board from 1983 to 1991 and from 1992 to 2000. In 1962, he won a gold, bronze, and two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 288
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 25 May 2004
ISBN 10: 0470834544
ISBN 13: 9780470834541

Media Reviews
. ..an intriguing account of many of the scandals that have despoiled the event... ( The Times , 16 December 2004). ..Pound details the bribery, doping, cheating and exploitation involved in the world's most 'golden' business. ( Fitness First Magazine , Autumn 2004). ..an interesting account of the recent history of IOC... ( British Runner , October 2004). ..a good modern history of the Olympics... ( Business Eye , August 2004). ..a powerful fascinating read and Pound does not pull his punches... ( Time Out , 25 August 2004) Pound digs deep into many controversial events and issues surrounding the Olympics ( Athletics Weekly , 18 August 2004) A fascinating, no -holds-barred look at just how the Olympics and their legacy have foundered ( New Addington Advertiser , 13 August 2004). ..the ultimate Olympic insider lifts the lid on everything from drug scandals to political wranglings. ( Northern Echo (North), 13 August 2004). ..a fascinating, no-holds-barred look at just how the Olympics and their legacy have foundered ( Croydon Advertiser , 13 August 2004). ..well written... ( Irish Independent (Dublin), 16 August 2004). ..his book is entertaining.. ( Aberdeen Press & Journal , 14 August 2004). ..brings an invigorating candour to a world in which officials have rivalled competitors for wrong doing. ( The Independent (Review), 13 August 2004). ..brings an invigorating candour to a world in which officials have rivalled competitors for wrongdoing... ( Independent , 13 August 2004). ..tells it like it is...a compelling read... ( Nottingham Evening Post , 7 August 2004). ..a revealing and fascinating book. ( Leicester Mercury , 3/8/04) His insider knowledge informs his compelling book... ( The Economist , 30/7/04)
Author Bio
Richard W. Pound has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for 25 years. He has served on the IOC Executive Board, and in 1987 was elected vice-president for a four-year term and served a second term from 1996 to 2000. During the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, he was acting presiden, and in 2001 ran unsuccessfully in the electionto replace Juan antonio Samaranch as the eighth president of the IOC. Pound is founding chair of the Wold Anti-Doping Agency, which was established in 1999. He was also Chairman of the IOC Television Negotiation Committee [1983-2001], and Chairman of the IOC Marketing Committee until 2001. Pound served as the Chair of the Coordination Commission for the 1996 Olympic Games, and as a director of the Organizing Committee for the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta. It was partly because of Pound's investigation of the recent Slt Lake City bribery scandal that new regulations and an ethics watchdog to oversee interaction between IOC members and bidding cities were created. he is a past president, director, and executive committee member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Born in Canada in 1942, Pound began his athletic career as a competitive swimmer. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he was a double Olympic finalist, finishing fourth in the 400 meter medley relay and sixth in the 100 meter freestyle. he went on to win four medals a gold, a bronze, and two silvers at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Pound was educated in Montreal, receiving degrees in commerce and law from McGill. he is currently a partner in the law firm Stikeman Elliott. In 1999, he was made the seventeenth chancellor of McGill University.