IOC Hopes Olympics Unifies Korea

(ATR) IOC President Jacques Rogge says the IOC is ready to do all it can for a unified team from the Koreas in the 2008 Olympics.

"This is something we dearly want," Rogge said during a press conference at IOC meetings in Seoul, South Korea.

North and South Korea have held three meetings to deal with the issue of a unified team and are expected to have another soon.

"The International Olympic Committee will assist in every way by being flexible on issues such as flag, name, [sport] qualifications," he said.

"But it is something that has to be implemented by the two National Olympic Committees for obvious reasons and we are assisting them.

"We are not in the driving seat. They are in the driving seat," said the IOC leader.

Baseball Still On the Bench

While offering praise for the inaugural World Baseball Classic, Rogge indicated that baseball still has issues to overcome before it can be considered for re-instatement to the Olympics.

"There are issues with doping in baseball and it is not yet at a level accepted by the Olympics," he said at the press conference.

(Leaders of the International Baseball Federation this week issued a statement saying that doping procedures followed during the World Baseball Classic were in conformity with the world anti-doping standards.)

Rogge said baseball must also deal with the issue of sending Major League players to Olympic teams.

"We want the best players in the Games."

Human Rights Hopes for China

Asked about the impact of the Olympics on human rights in China, Rogge restated IOC policy on the issue, something he is likely to do many more times with the 2008 Games two years away.

"The International Olympic Committee is absolutely clear that it wants the full respect of human rights. I think we've proven that very clearly in the past," he responded.

"It is however not the task of the International Olympic Committee to monitor human rights. This is the work of specialized agencies," said Rogge, who added that the IOC does pay attention to reports of these organizations.

He believes the attention Beijing is about to receive for the Olympics will be a force for change.

"Having about 20 to 25,000 press people covering the Games will definitely open up the country for the attention of the whole world. And the Chinese will be eager to show their culture, the best in China. And I'm sure that that's going to have a very positive effect," he said.

Rogge is in Seoul through the end of the week for meetings of the IOC Executive Board as well as the summer and winter international sports federations.

He is scheduled to meet the press again in Seoul on Wednesday where he will cover issues involving the sports federations. Top of that list will be changes to the way the IOC evaluates the program for the Olympic Games.

Rogge Agrees Small NOCs Need More Money

Earlier in the day Rogge heard recommendations on the Olympic program from the Association of National Olympic Committees during a joint meeting with the 201 NOCs attending the meeting.

The ANOC proposal calls for a core of 26 sports for the Summer Games and changing from a 2/3's vote to a simple majority, the number of votes it will take to add or cut a sport from the Olympic program.

The IOC president said he will support a proposal from ANOC for a 20% increase for small NOCs from the IOC's sponsorship and TV rights revenues. Rogge says the IOC budget can support the increase, about $10,000 per NOC.

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