May 26, 2000
The Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee has just released a document it has been keeping secret for a long time.
The disclosure comes just a day after the Justice Department said it doesn't plan to bring any charges against the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee in connecting with the bid scandal.
News Specialist John Daley has been following the story of the so-called "Geld" document.
Is this the blueprint for bribery--or just a standard business plan?
That will be debated over the coming days.
What it is a 28-page list detailing the interests and family needs of members of the International Olympic Committee.
It's well-known that Olympic bidders mapped out an aggressive strategy to win the influence of IOC members.
But until now this document has been kept secret.
It's believed only lawyers for the organizing committee and investigators for the Justice Department had a copy.
The memo was written in the early 1990s.
What's interesting about it is the use of the word "geld"--"money" in German.
It's listed next to the names of 8 IOC members, including some prominent names of those caught up in the scandal, like Jean-Claude Ganga from the Congo.
Other members have nothing next to their names.
SLOC president Mitt Romney said he favored releasing the geld document for weeks but was reluctant to do so, citing concerns over the ongoing federal investigation.
However, yesterday Justice Department officials said based on evidence currently available prosecutors wouldn't seek an indictment against SLOC as an organization.
Romney said in a news release issued today that he hadn't seen the memo's contents but that he will let the document speak for itself.
After this, the term Olympic gold, or Olympic "geld" certainly takes on a new meaning.
