Sydney bidders deny improper payments to middleman

SYDNEY – Two leading politicians prominent in Sydney’s successful bid to host the 2000 Olympics have denied any improper payments were made to an Egyptian businessman to lure two votes and win the games nomination.

Former chairman of the Sydney Olympic bid, ex-NSW premier John Fahey, and former NSW Olympic minister Bruce Baird said Mahmoud El Farnawani worked for the bid team that beat Beijing for the 2000 Games at a vote of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Monte Carlo in 1993. But they told ABC radio on Thursday the businessman was not paid anything extra to deliver the winning votes as El Farnawani claimed on the BBC TV’s Panorama program on Wednesday.Baird, now a federal government MP, said the agent had been caught out lying to boost his credentials.”As minister for the Olympic bid I would be aware of any expenditure that was made to people,” Baird told ABC radio.”He had a fairly modest payment that was made to him on a yearly basis for his services that included looking after the IOC members from the North African area.”He said El Farnawani had “made some fairly over the top claims about his role in terms of securing the Olympic bid and I think he’s been caught out”.”Certainly at the end of the day we were all pretty disappointed in his performance,” Baird said.- Nampa-AFPBut they told ABC radio on Thursday the businessman was not paid anything extra to deliver the winning votes as El Farnawani claimed on the BBC TV’s Panorama program on Wednesday.Baird, now a federal government MP, said the agent had been caught out lying to boost his credentials.”As minister for the Olympic bid I would be aware of any expenditure that was made to people,” Baird told ABC radio.”He had a fairly modest payment that was made to him on a yearly basis for his services that included looking after the IOC members from the North African area.”He said El Farnawani had “made some fairly over the top claims about his role in terms of securing the Olympic bid and I think he’s been caught out”.”Certainly at the end of the day we were all pretty disappointed in his performance,” Baird said.- Nampa-AFP