IOC Rejects Concerns Over Zhukov Role for 2022 Bid Contest

The IOC denies suggestions that Alexander Zhukov’s appointment as head of the 2022 Evaluation Commission could backfire if Ukraine’s Lviv bid is shortlisted.

The Russian Olympic Committee president is a close ally of Vladimir Putin and a deputy prime minister. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its annexing of Crimea has triggered international condemnation.

Given the political tensions between Russia and Ukraine, IOC president Thomas Bach’s naming Zhukov to the post this week seemed an odd move.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams tells Around the Rings: "He has the full confidence of the IOC president."

Zhukov himself said Thursday it was "a bit of a surprise that I have to chair the commission that will decide which city will stage the 2022 Olympic Games."

"It's obviously high-responsibility work. ... It's a great honor and a great responsibility," he told RIA Novosti.

His commission will be appointed in July after the IOC cuts the field of five 2022 applicant cities to three or four finalists. Almaty, Beijing, Kraków, and Oslo are the other bid cities.

As head of the evaluation commission, Zhukov’s job is to provide a balanced view of the candidate cities.

Lviv is currently battling to win government support for its Olympic ambitions following months of civil unrest.

If it makes the cut in July, the Ukrainian bid team could feel they face an unfair disadvantage with a Russian fronting the evaluation commission.

As is the norm with Olympic bidding contests, evaluation commission visits are planned in February and March before the IOC vote in Kuala Lumpur in July 2015. Political tensions between Russia and Ukraine could be as fragile as now, or relations may have deteriorated further.

Ukraine’s new government and the Lviv bid would then be obliged to warmly welcome Zhukov and his inspection team, putting them up in a five-star hotel and giving them red-carpet treatment as part of showcasing their Olympic aspirations.

Zhukov’s every word would be analyzed for impartiality in his summing of the inspection visit that comes at the closing day’s press conference.

His comments and influence on the evaluation report sent to IOC members could be the difference between Ukraine hosting the Winter Olympics and the Lviv bid being derailed for good.

Questioned about Zhukov’s impartiality in overseeing the 2022 bid race beyond the candidate cities announcement, the IOC’s director of communications denied that his appointment was a misstep.

"The members of the evaluation commission - including its chair - are highly experienced people who are chosen for their expertise and knowledge of the Olympic Games and its technical operations," Adam said.

"The role of the commission is to make a technical analysis of the candidatures and provide that information to the IOC members in a report, not to give its opinion."

He added: "Mr. Zhukov, in his capacity as NOC president, played a key role in the preparations and staging to the Sochi Games and knows what it takes to deliver successful Winter Games."

Written by Mark Bisson

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