IOC whistle-blower Marc Hodler dies

Marc Hodler, the Swiss International Olympic Committee member who blew the whistle on corruption in the Salt Lake City Olympics bidding process, died Wednesday in Switzerland, his family said. He was 87.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a former Salt Lake City Olympic Committee boss, says Hodler's role as whistle-blower didn't always make him popular with everyone.

"But Marc put principle ahead of popularity," Romney told the Deseret Morning News in a phone interview.

The improprieties that Hodler helped uncover led to several federal indictments against Salt Lake's Olympic-bid leaders, Tom Welch and Dave Johnson. The two were eventually acquitted when U.S. District Judge David Sam threw out the federal case, saying the prosecution was misplaced and "offended my sense of justice."

Despite Johnson's involvement and ordeal, he still considered Hodler a friend to the end.

"I deeply respected him," Johnson said Wednesday from his office at a communications company in Salt Lake City. "I'm sorry to see him go."

Hodler, who was president of the International Ski Federation from 1951 to 1998, died in Bern, Switzerland, after a "short, serious illness," his son, Beat Hodler, said.

The elder Hodler's death came eight days before what would have been his 88th birthday.

Johnson and Hodler shared the same birthday, and they also shared dinners and lunches in a dozen countries during the course of Salt Lake City's campaign to host the Winter Games, which it did in 2002.

"He was helpful to us when we lost to Nagano in June of 1991," Johnson said. "It was pretty discouraging to continue in the bid process. We really didn't have the support of the business community. Marc came out and convinced them that it's a good bet and they should invest in the bid process for the second time around."

Hodler and Johnson continued to correspond even after Johnson was accused of wrongdoing.

"Marc and I were very good friends when the stories began to surface about what we had been doing during the bid process," Johnson said.

Hodler did make some comments during a press conference in 1998 that Johnson said were "harmful and hurt others." Johnson added that it wasn't easy going through the process in Utah of experiencing the scandal and facing charges of federal fraud, conspiracy and racketeering.

"But I don't blame that process on Marc," Johnson said. "I blame that process on the people who were with us during the bid. And when fingers started being pointed, they ran, and we (Welch and Johnson) were singled out."