It didn't end with Salt Lake

The Salt Lake Olympic bribery scandal always was about nine parts melodrama and one part substance. From the beginning, no one wanted to come to terms with the fact that cities previous to Salt Lake had won the games in part by paying International Olympic Committee members what some people would define as bribes for votes.

For its part, the IOC quickly moved to institute reforms and slap a few wrists, making it look as if all had been fixed while never really coming to the heart of the matter. That heart has to do with the IOC's inherent vulnerabilities. It is a body answerable only to itself, and it must, by necessity, entertain proposals from people whose communities are investing large amounts of money and political capital in hopes of landing the Games.

Finally, the scandal was all topped off by overzealous federal prosecutors who were determined to make examples of Utah bid organizers Tom Welch and Dave Johnson, even though they clearly had not violated any laws. The federal judge who dismissed the case summed up the whole episode aptly by saying it "offends my sense of justice."

So it shouldn't surprise many people that the BBC has uncovered new evidence that IOC members still are accepting money in exchange for votes. The news program "Panorama" sent reporters undercover to pose as consultants trying to help London land the 2012 Summer Games. These "consultants" found agents who would help them obtain votes from key delegates. Some of these agents had helped the Salt Lake bid and were caught on film quoting dollar figures for what it would take.

Johnson, who also appears in the broadcast, said it may be impossible for the IOC to change the process. "It's a lobbying effort," he said, adding the IOC should probably just be more up-front about that.

But that seems a bit too cynical for us.

All of this would be easier to take if the Olympic movement didn't sell itself as purity in athletics — a wholesome way for competing nations to set aside their differences and unite in fair contests. If some of the people at the top are collecting bribes, it isn't much of a leap to believe that judges — whether for figure skating, diving or any other subjective event — might find it enticing to do the same. It follows, as well, that the athletes themselves would seek unfair advantages.

The tone is set at the top. Only when the people there commit themselves to being pure can the organization hope to clean house all the way to the bottom.

This isn't a case of a news organization refusing to let an overblown scandal die. The BBC has succeeded in emphasizing something local organizers tried in vain to say for years — the IOC's problems didn't start or end with Salt Lake City.