Mario Pescante Resigns as IOC Vice President

(ATR) Mario Pescante tells Around the Rings he has resigned asIOC vice president, admitting he was embarrassed at Italian PrimeMinister Mario Monti's decision to pull the plug on the Rome 2020 bid atthe last minute.

"The problem was the position taken by my Prime Minister. I accepted the decision but frankly I remain very surprised that he took the decision 12 hours before the IOC deadline," Pescante told ATR Tuesday.

"I feel this way of behaving most inconsiderate towards the IOC.

"I consider this decision [the timing] not respectful to the position of the IOC in the world," added Pescante, a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the Italian parliament.

Monti decided to withdraw Rome from the running for the 2020 Olympics on Feb. 14 following evaluation of the costs and benefits of bidding for the Olympics for the troubled Italian economy.

It was Monti's failure to commit himself to the city's Olympic ambitions in the weeks before the IOC's Feb. 15 deadline that irked Pescante and led to today's resignation.

After two years of "hard work" preparing the Rome 2020 bid, Pescante added: "I am disappointed but some things are necessary. My personal feeling at the moment is correct.

"My vice presidency position is no longer compatible. I was duty-bound to resign after the London Olympics."

Pescante told ATR that he sent a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge this morning and has since received "a lot of phone calls from IOC colleagues including Thomas Bach".

Asked if they were surprised about his decision to resign the IOC role, he said: "They are surprised, yes. I had the possibility to explain the reasons, particularly concerning the timing [of Monti's decision]. It is not acceptable."

Pescante said he accepted Monti's decision on the Rome 2020 bid amid Italy's debt crisis, praising the Italian premier for the "fantastic work" he was doing in his country and in Europe.

"But concerning the timing. Frankly, I think there is a lack of style," he added.

Pescante, 73, was elected as an IOC vice president at the Copenhagen Session in 2009 and had two years left on his term. His decision does not impact his status as an IOC member from Italy.

"I prefer to leave now so that another vice president, younger and more motivated, can take on different causes. At the moment, my motivations are defeated," he added.

The Italian IOC member of 17 years told ATR that he will officiallypresent his resignation at the IOC Session in London in July.

Written by Mark Bisson.

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