IOC chief chides 2 bidders

BERLIN — Determined to avoid a return to the abuses and corruption of the past, IOC president Jacques Rogge warned the five cities vying for the 2012 Olympics to obey ethics rules and stay out of a "bidding war."

Rogge chided New York and London on Wednesday for unveiling incentives in a late push for votes without clearing them first with the International Olympic Committee. He said the IOC could order the cities to withdraw the offers if they weren't included in the official bid documents submitted in November.

"We understand the candidate cities want to do more, but they have to understand where we come from," Rogge said. "We come from a period of excesses; we come from a period of red carpet treatment; we come from a period of where we had a corruption scandal in Salt Lake City. This is something we don't want to repeat."

The IOC ethics commission opened an inquiry Tuesday into whether New York and London broke bidding rules by promising financial, promotional and marketing benefits to international sports federations, athletes and national Olympic committees.

New York and London officials insisted their programs were accounted for in their official bid files and expressed confidence their committees will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

The proposals were announced this week during a major Olympic gathering in Berlin, the last big chance for bid cities to make pitches in the final stretch of the campaign. London and New York are competing against Paris, Madrid and Moscow. The IOC will select the host city on July 6 in Singapore.

"We do not want a kind of bidding war in the last days by the candidate cities to say, 'I promise you that,' and the next day, 'I promise you that,'" Rogge said at the close of a three-day IOC executive board meeting. "This is not good for the Olympic movement."

IOC ethics rules have been tightened since the Salt Lake City scandal, which led to the ouster of 10 IOC members for accepting cash, scholarships, lavish gifts and other improper inducements from the 2002 Winter Games host city. IOC members are now barred from visiting bid cities, and the candidates face strict limits on lobbying and promotions.

In a presentation Sunday to international federations, New York promised to market each of the 28 Olympic sports for free in the seven-year period leading to the games. Federations would get free office space, with computers, phones and staff.

Charles Battle, New York's international relations director, said the proposed Olympic Sports Marketing Council was outlined previously in the bid files and presentations.