Mr BARRESI (1:14 PM) —I move:

That the House:

(1) continues to support the staging of the Sydney Olympics as an opportunity to showcase Australia, its people, culture and above all our sporting traditions;

(2) acknowledges the commitment, work and performance of Australia's athletes and sporting organisations as they prepare to participate in the 2000 Olympics;

(3) deplores the disrepute caused to the Olympic ideals by the continuing bribery allegations;

(4) notes the concerns expressed by the local and international community at the loss of integrity in the Olympic movement and its possible effect on the successful staging of Australia's 2000 Games; and

(5) requests that SOCOG calls on the IOC to fund any shortfall in sponsorship finances which may result from inappropriate action by IOC members.

As a lover of sports, I am very enthusiastic about the Sydney Games. As a Victorian, I am pleased that Melbourne's groundwork paid off for the Sydney bid, ensuring it will truly be Australia's games. The Deakin electorate is home to many fine athletes who have had Olympic aspirations since childhood—Anna Wilson, Lauren Hewitt, Kyle van der Kuyp and Cathy Freeman, to name but a few. It is unfortunate that the current furore should detract from the preparation for the games and more a tragedy should it interfere with the preparation of our athletes. How ironic it is that the future of the Olympic movement has been put at risk by those who directly control the legacy of Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Sports management theory will show that this is another example of an amateur sports body evolving into a commercial entity with all the competing values associated with such a transition. Although the games organising committees are now set up along corporate lines, the games they play to accommodate the Olympic family are not. The genesis of this can be traced track to the LA Games of 1984. The games broke with tradition by turning a profit. President Samaranch begged the USOC for a healthy slice of those profits and appointed the corrupt American Bob Helmick to the club to ensure he got them. Since then, the Olympic motto of Citius Altius Fortius has applied not only to the competing athletes, but also to a growing number of IOC members who have taken bribes and other inducements while travelling the world in lavish style.

As the IOC answers to no-one, this cancerous behaviour has gone unchecked. The damage caused to the Olympic movement can only be repaired by changing the culture of the IOC. The IOC has now banned delegate visits to bidding cities altogether, which seems just as futile as sending over 100 of its members on grand tours.

While the games have changed significantly, the IOC has not. It still refers to itself as the `supreme authority of the Olympic movement'. Delegates represent the interests not of individual nations or their Olympic organisations but of the IOC itself. Until that situation is reversed, reforms are mere window-dressing. A possible revamped structure can be found in the existing IOC charter—that is, in the recognition of the world's six regional Olympic associations. These associations would emerge as important regional representatives of the national Olympic committees in their region.

The sporting world demands full transparency from the guardians of the flame. Until recently it was impossible to get an accurate picture of its financial performance. A veil of secrecy surrounded the detail. We can be sure the coffers are not empty. Revenue from television broadcast rights of the summer games alone grew ninefold from $US100 million in 1976 to around $US900 million in 1996.

Sydney is entrusted with continuing the recent expectation of a successful and financially viable games. However, the selling of sponsorships to ensure that the Olympic caravan does not leave a trail of debt has slowed in its momentum. Recent reports indicate that SOCOG is about $90 million short of its corporate sponsorship target. This is clearly due to the actions of some IOC delegates and the loss of credibility of the organisation, from the President down.

When Sydney bid to host the games, they expected that they would provide a fillip for sport and tourism. The games were a valued asset. But there is now the real danger that Sydney has bought damaged goods and, in one way or another, the Australian public may have to foot the bill for years to come.

In that light SOCOG should call on the IOC to fund any shortfalls in finances caused by the revelations of the corruption and greed of Samaranch's team. Remember, the Olympic charter states, `All profits derived from the celebration of the Olympic Games shall be applied to the development of the Olympic movement and of sport.' The IOC will certainly make a healthy profit from the Sydney 2000 Games. Therefore, by making good any losses suffered by Sydney it would truly live out its charter. In the spirit of Olympism, they could fund a shortfall or even guarantee a minimum surplus. In this way the IOC could ensure that our athletes and sporting organisations will not suffer post-Olympics from any adverse financial consequences of hosting the games.

The IOC, by breaching their own ideals, have threatened the future of the Olympic movement, of which they are the trustees. It is only the public's insatiable desire for a universal sporting competition that keeps the Olympic movement alive. (Time expired)

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Nehl) —Is the motion seconded?

Mr Andrew Thomson —I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.