How pre-occupied with the business of finding a host city for the 2008 Games were the members of the IOC last Friday afternoon? Not very. All minds were on this morning's presidential election, which has narrowed to a two-horse race between Jacques Rogge of Belgium and Kim Un-Yong of South Korea.
For all but twelve 12 of the IOC members gathered here, in Moscow today's election will be the first time they have had a chance to vote for the 8theighth president of the IOC. They are absolutely consumed by the adrenalin-pumping politics of it.
It's been quite a horse race. Dr Kim Un-Yong of South Korea was reckoned to have nudged himself into a position shoulder to shoulder with his main rival, the bookish Belgian Doctor Jacques Rogge in the last few days of intense lobbying. Yesterday, however, the tide seemed to have turned decisively for Rogge again.
How dirty is it in there? Well, take the case of Mario Vasquez Rana, head of the world body for the national Olympic committees, NOC's otherwise known as ANOC. The Mexican is in trouble domestically and has lost the presidency of his home the Mexican Olympic committee and is losing ground in Latin America. He needs to hold on to his ANOC position to retain his considerable influence in the IOC.
Rana was backing Rogge, until last week he received an anonymous letter telling him that Rogge had cut a deal with the Sheikh of Kuwait to support the Sheikh when the ANOC presidency comes up next May. Rogge had to put out the fire, then round up the Sheikh, round up Rana, and promise both it wasn't true.
If somebody somewhere was smiling, it didn't last long. Word yesterday was that the news had been sent to Kim that neither Rana nor the Sheikh or the numbers they carry would be guaranteed this morning.
Last night Kim's campaigners reckoned that Rogge had about 45-50 votes, Kim had 40-45 and Canadian Dick Pound had 15. With the remainder being divided between the weakest candidates, everything is to play for as they are weaker candidates get eliminated.
They were more bullish in Rogge's camp though, with those closest to the Belgian predicting an emphatic first round win and others expressing certainty that the agony would last no longer than two rounds.
Behind the scenes before this morning's rash of votes, the quiet and skillful hand of Juan Antonio Samaranch could still be scene moving adroitly yesterday. Last person nominated for a place on the IOC board was Alex Gilladi, an NBC vice-president and the man who brokered the deals with that company. If Samaranch can have Gilladi elected to the board, his son, Juan Jnr, elected to the IOC, and Rogge installed in the top job, it will behave been a farewell political tutorial from the master.
The Candidates
Dr Kim Un-Yong (70), South Korea
He has sailed close to the wind in the past. His links to the Salt Lake City scandal brought him to the brink of expulsion from the IOC (along with six other members) in 1999. Among other favours, it was arranged that Kim's, daughter a pianist of modest attainment, would get to rehearse with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra. She also performed with the Utah Symphony orchestra. He escaped with a reprimand.
Another charge against Kim, that relating to alleged favours for his son, is still pending and his son is still being sought by the US Justice Department.
All this should rule Kim out of a bid for the presidency, but he is a hustler par excellence and has benefited from the resentful tide of anti-Americanism among IOC members. Furthermore, his timing has been perfect and at just the right moments he has applied pressure to the tender spots.
His suggestion that the IOC members resume visiting candidate cities (except with the IOC itself paying this time) has been slapped down by Juan Antonio Samaranch but finds a ready audience among the electorate who see Samaranch living in a $600,000 per annum hotel suite in Lausanne and wonder why their perks have been eliminated. Kim has flattered them too. It is being whispered quietly that in recognition of the fact that each member is in fact an Olympic ambassador that they should be paid a sum ($50,000 is mentioned) , plus allowance for an office and administrative help) to maintain such ambassadorial trappings as may be necessary. This is unlikely to swing Princess Anne, say, but $50,000 and a return of the freebie fun should win a lot of votes.
Kim's background itself is political with a little murk. He has always denied that he was involved with the Korean intelligence services, but other career highlights involve working for Korea within the UN in the 1960s.
He was co-opted onto the IOC in February 1986, and has worked quietly over the years pulling strings from behind . He had taekwando elevated to an Olympic sport and introduced several prominent officials from that sport into membership of the IOC.
He has long-held business links,- and it is part of Olympic lore that Adidas helped South Korea get the 1988 Games over Nagayo. In Moscow and in recent months his campaign has been led by Jean Claude Schupp, for 27 years the media frontman for Adidas.
Dr Jacques Rogge (59) Belgium
An orthopedic doctor from Ghent, Rogge expects to have most of Europe behind him. in this mornings vote. Although he is felt to be Juan Antonio Samaranch's favoured candidate, Rogge brings a different style to the party. Not intensely political or confrontational by nature, Rogge's style is consensus building, a task for which he has seemingly endless patience.
His background is in yachting, and in which sport he competed for Belgium three times in the Olympiads of 1968, '72 and '76. He has also played rugby for Belgium.
One consequence of his possible election will be his vacating of his position as head of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) which he has held for the past twelve years. Favourite to replace him in a November election would be current vice-president Pat Hickey. If Rogge is elected today, Hickey will become interim president in Europe.
Rogge has remained squeaky clean during the scandals of the past few years and his quiet, diligent campaign for the presidency has been managed by the Italian sports minister, Mario Pescante, with help from Ireland's Pat Hickey.
One of the keys in the last few days has been the statesman-like manner in which he has responded to suggestions that IOC members have their trips to bid cities restored and be paid $50,000 a year. Rogge has refused to rule out the suggestion, but has said that if the membership want these things the membership can raise the issues in an open and democratic manner.
His strong suit, and again this distinguishes him from Samaranch, is doping, a subject about which he expresses uncommon passion free from the doublespeak of most IOC members.
Dick Pound (59), Canada
A Montreal lawyer, being clean-up guy on so many Olympic scandals, has killed him his electorally. Would have been the keen favourite half a decade ago. Now seen as hectoring, arrogant and self-righteous. Was placed in additionally awkward position by fact of Toronto, his home city, being in the running to stage the 2008 Games.
