10-16-2019, 05:22 AM
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Twelve years after taking over an IOC recovering from its worst ethics scandal, Jacques Rogge is leaving with the Olympic body in much sturdier shape but facing serious challenges. Fred VanVleet Jersey . The 71-year-old Belgian steps down as president next Tuesday after steering the International Olympic Committee through a period of relative stability that spanned three Summer Olympics and three Winter Games. Rogge, an orthopedic surgeon who competed in three Olympics in sailing, is completing his term with a reputation for bringing a calm, steady hand to the often turbulent world of Olympic politics. He took a hard line against doping and ethics violations, created the Youth Olympics, oversaw a growth in IOC finances during a time of global economic crisis and made peace with the U.S. Olympic Committee after years of bitter squabbling over revenues. Under Rogges watch, the IOC has also taken the Olympics to new places -- including awarding the 2016 event to Rio de Janeiro for the first games in South America. "I hope that people, with time, will consider that I did a good job for the IOC," Rogge, in an interview with The Associated Press, said with typical understatement. "Thats what you legitimately want to be remembered for." IOC members meeting in Buenos Aires over the next week will elect Rogges successor among six candidates by secret ballot Sept. 10. The new president will face tough issues, including the backlash over anti-gay legislation in Russia before Februarys Winter Games in Sochi and concern over construction delays in Rio. Rogge was elected the IOCs eighth president in Moscow in 2001, succeeding Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard who ran the committee with an authoritarian style for 21 years. Rogge took office following the Salt Lake City scandal, in which 10 IOC members resigned or were expelled for receiving scholarships, payments and gifts during its winning bid for the 2002 Winter Games. Rogge, who enjoyed a "Mr. Clean" reputation, broke with the tainted and elitist image of the IOC, choosing to stay in the athletes village as much as possible during the six games that he oversaw. "He was absolutely the right person at the right time," senior Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg said. "We had a lot of turmoil. We had to get out of that. We had to get another image. He has brought stability to the organization." Rogges measured leadership was in sharp contrast with that of Samaranch. While the former Spanish diplomat worked behind the scenes and twisted arms to get what he wanted, Rogge pursued a more democratic, collegial and management-oriented approach. Some critics called Rogge dull and wooden, but he liked to describe himself as a "sober" and level-headed leader in keeping with his medical background. After serving an initial eight-year term, Rogge was re-elected unopposed in 2009 to a second and final four-year term. He now reflects with quiet satisfaction on his time holding down the most powerful post in international sports. "I received an IOC in good shape from Samaranch," Rogge said. "And I believe I will leave an IOC in good shape to my successor." Rogge presided over Summer Olympics in Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012), and Winter Games in Salt Lake City (2002), Turin (2006) and Vancouver (2010). Some were trickier than others: Salt Lake City came just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks; Athens was dogged by chronic delays; Beijing was surrounded by controversy over Chinas record on Tibet and human rights. Rogge steered away from Samaranchs practice of calling an Olympics the "best ever," choosing other words to sum up the success of each games. "Im very glad of the quality of the games that were held under my watch, summer or winter," Rogge said. "I would say they were magnificent, exceptional, superb, truly unforgettable, and gracious and glorious for London." Rogge is leaving his successor with two potentially difficult games ahead. Apart from security worries and cost overruns, the buildup to the Feb. 7-23 Sochi Games has been dominated recently by an international outcry over a new Russian law banning gay "propaganda." Rogge and the IOC have been criticized for not doing enough to fight the legislation. Rogge said he is "comforted" that Russia has given the IOC "strong assurances" that there will be no discrimination against any athletes or spectators at the games. Construction delays and other organizational setbacks, meanwhile, are raising concerns that Rio could be another Athens. "Were working hard together with both organizers and any potential shortcoming has been addressed, so I expect both games to be good ones," Rogge said. "I think Sochi will be absolutely OK because the Russians love sport, they know sport, there is no limitation in their desire to perform well. "For Rio, I am quite sure and quite confident they will be very good games also. We will benefit from the experience of the (2014) World Cup." Human rights groups and other outside critics have accused Rogge and the IOC of failing to speak out against abuses in host countries like China, Russia and Brazil. Rogge espouses "quiet diplomacy" and says the IOC is a sports organization, not a government or political body. Looking back, Rogge cites the achievements of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps as Olympic highlights -- even though he criticized the Jamaican sprinter for showboating in Beijing and questioned whether he was a "living legend" in London. As for the low point of his presidency, Rogge has no hesitation. "On the dark side, it is the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili that I will never forget," he said. The Georgian luger died after a high-speed crash during a training run in Whistler just hours before the opening ceremony in Vancouver. Rogge recalls being notified that Kumaritashvili was in a hospital on life support. He gathered a crisis meeting of Olympic leaders at a hotel. "We wanted to get more news and unfortunately after five minutes we heard that the athlete had passed away," he said. One of Rogges biggest priorities was trying to control the size and scale of the Olympics. He instituted a cap of 10,500 athletes and 28 sports for the Summer Games. The cost of hosting the games has gained urgency at a time of global economic uncertainty, with cities spending tens of billions of dollars on construction projects. "On one hand we have to make sure we contain the size, on the other hand we have to help the organizing cities by lowering the demands and the service levels," Rogge said. Rogge struggled with the thorny issue of the Olympic sports program -- which sports to drop and which to bring in. While softball and baseball were kicked out after 2008 and golf and rugby were added starting in 2016, the system for 2020 has been messy. Wrestling was surprisingly dropped in February, but now looks set to be put back for 2020, meaning no new sport will be included as originally intended. While Samaranch and the IOC were criticized for what was seen as laxness on performance-enhancing drugs, Rogge pursued "zero tolerance" on doping. He doubled the number of tests at the Olympics to 5,000, implemented rigorous pre-games and out-of-competition checks, retested samples from previous games to catch cheaters retroactively and championed the biological passport for monitoring an athletes blood profile. In Turin, after a tipoff by the IOC, Italian police raided the lodgings of the Austrian cross-country and biathlon teams, seizing doping substances and equipment. "We really stepped up the fight," Rogge said. "I think it is far more difficult to get doped today than it used to be a couple of years ago. Today the Lance Armstrong case could not occur because the sensitivity for the EPO testing is far higher than it used to be back in 2005." Rogge also set up a system to monitor betting patterns during the Olympics, suspended or forced out members implicated in ethics violations and held firm to the post-Salt Lake City ban on member visits to bid cities. He also spoke out against the rise in youth obesity and staked his legacy on the creation of the Youth Games, an event for athletes 15 to 18 years old that debuted with the summer edition in Singapore in 2010. The IOCs coffers also strengthened under Rogges tenure, with revenues from top-tier global sponsors going from $663 million in 2001-04 to nearly $1 billion for the four-year cycle through London. Television rights deals raised billions, including a record $4.38 billion deal with NBC through 2020. The IOCs financial reserves, designed to allow the organization to continue operating for four years in the event of an Olympics being cancelled, have risen from $100 million to $900 million over the past 10 years. Perhaps Rogges most significant financial achievement was the signing of a long-term revenue-sharing deal with the USOC in 2012. Tensions had festered for years over a previous deal going back to 1996 that many Olympic officials felt gave the U.S. too big a share. The resentment contributed heavily to the IOC rejection of U.S. bids for the Olympics of 2012 (New York) and 2016 (Chicago). "The situation was a thorn that irritated a lot of people in the Olympic movement," Rogge said. "The USOC have a special place in the Olympic movement. However, the place had to be reviewed in modern circumstances with the modern economics and so forth. We found a very good agreement that respected both sides. Rogges health has declined in recent months. He had hip replacement surgery in September 2012 and has looked much older and slower, a far cry from the youthful, vigorous man who came to power 12 years ago. Yet Rogge has continued to circle the globe on IOC business and kept his hand on day-to-day issues. "My agenda will be full until the very last day," he said. Rogge is looking forward to returning to Ghent and spending time with his family --wife Anne, two adult children and grandchildren. Hes got a pile of books to read and a list of art galleries to visit. Even though he could stay as an IOC member for 10 more years, Rogge is resigning to become an honorary member. "I dont think it would be sound for the IOC to have the past president running around the session having a vote to cast, giving his opinion," he said. Rogge will continue attending the Olympics, able to appreciate the action from a new perspective, no longer a president worried about the organizational aspects. "Coming from one competition to another I was constantly in line telephonically or by email with my team at the headquarters who would inform me about potential problems," he said. "I wont have that anymore and I will enjoy sport at 100 per cent." Rogge has no plans to write his memoirs, preferring to update the archives for the Olympic Museum. "I note everything every day on my little white papers, so I have a pretty impressive collection, a lot of material that is very interesting that people dont know about," he said. Then, with a laugh, Rogge adds: "And some material that people better not know about." Lucas Nogueira Jersey . His Brazilian opponents said he produced miracles. There is no doubt that Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the one responsible for spoiling Brazils hopes of another World Cup victory at its home tournament. Marc Gasol Raptors Jersey . As future stars prepare to make the big leap to the professional ranks, TSNs Draft Week delivers wall-to-wall coverage of both the NHL and NBA Entry Drafts, highlighted by exclusive live coverage of both events. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Patri...on-Jersey/ . Long snapper Patrick Mannelly announced Friday that he is retiring after a 16-year-career with the Bears, a span in which he played in a team record 245 games and snapped the ball 2,282 times.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - John Elway broke the mould.The Denver Broncos general manager bucked this years trend when he hired his former backup QB and offensive co-ordinator Gary Kubiak as his head coach.Every other head coach vacancy thats been filled has gone to men with defensive roots: John Fox in Chicago, Jack Del Rio in Oakland, Jim Tomsula in San Francisco, Rex Ryan in Buffalo and Todd Bowles with the Jets.Oddly, every one of those teams also had trouble on offence in 2014.So did the Falcons, the only head coaching vacancy that hasnt been filled.It appears that offensive co-ordinators Josh McDaniels of New England and Adam Gase, Peyton Mannings co-architect in Denver, will have to keep waiting as defensive co-ordinators Dan Quinn of Seattle and Detroits Teryl Austin are the only candidates to get follow-up interviews with the Falcons.If Quinn is the choice, the Falcons will have to wait to offer him the job until after Seattle plays New England in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.Quinns star rose with the Seahawks 43-8 walloping of Elways Broncos in last years Super Bowl, something NFL Network analyst Terrell Davis believes has driven this defensive shift, along with the aerial fireworks show the league has become.One, you look at who won the Super Bowl last year. Theyve got a formula people want, Davis said. Theyve got a good quarterback and their offence was good; it just wasnt as good as their defence. If you have a good defence, you can mask a lot of deficiencies on offence. And two, it really is about offences in this league and if you can stop them.Then again, Davis said, it could just be coincidence.Maybe it just happens to be the best candidates are defensive coaches, Davis said.Theres no ambiguity about it, insisted former NFL executive and current ESPN analyst Bill Polian.Each hire, each situation is different. Thats one part of the puzzle, Polian said. The second part is the pool of candidates is what it is. In any given year, you might have more people who come from the offensive side of the ball as opposed to the defensive. And third, anybody thats asked for my advice, I have said, Hire the best person regardless of orientation.Because what youre hiring is a head coach. Hes going to hire a defensive co-ordinator. Hes going to hire an offensive co-ordinator. Theyre the ones that are going to determine largely the scheme. So, hire the best person whose philosophy of football fits how yyou want to operate. Stanley Johnson Raptors Jersey. The only other factor that should come into the equation is previous head coaching experience, Polian said.That certainly burnished the resumes of Fox, Del Rio and Ryan. Fox was 49-22 in four seasons in Denver even though the Broncos came up short in the playoffs each year.Guys who have been a successful head coach before, theres probably something to be said for that, Polian said.New Bills owner Terry Pegula said experience was the tilting factor in Ryans hiring. In San Francisco, it came down to Tomsula or Gase, but the deciding factor wasnt their backgrounds, CEO Jed York said.Youre not the head coach of the defence. Youre not the head coach of the offence, York said. Youre the head coach of the entire team.Interestingly, teams led by head coaches with offensive roots had an average rank of 16.1 in points per game this season to 16.0 for defensive coaches (excluding the Raiders, who switched mid-season from defensive to offensive). The season started with 16 offensive and 16 defensive coaches.So, there was essentially no difference in performance on average based on the expertise of the head coach.Yeah, if you want to use that metric, Polian said. When you use the word expertise of the coach, would you presume that Bill Belichick knows only defence? OK, so thats my point. If you hire a good coach, he understands both sides of the ball, how it fits, how he wants to do it, how it fits his personnel, etc. etc. Were hiring head coaches here, not co-ordinators.Raiders owner Mark Davis was initially looking for an offensive-minded coach to help quarterback Derek Carr develop, something he told Del Rio in their first conversation.And Jack said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop! I know about offence as well, Davis said.Labels dont matter when youre a head coach, Del Rio said, because if youre a defensive guy, quickly you become an offensive guy as well.He pointed to the two coaches who are in the Super Bowl.Bill Belichick was a defensive guy and hes doing a pretty good job with his offence, Del Rio said. Pete Carroll is a defensive guy in his background, but hes doing a pretty good job up there in Seattle with their offence and with their team. So, I think when you hire a head coach, you get that — you get a head coach.___AP Sports Writers Josh Dubow, John Wawrow and Janie McCauley contributed.___AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '