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Monday, July 16
Samaranch's last day bittersweet



MOSCOW -- On his last day in office, Juan Antonio Samaranch savored victory, tasted a rare personal defeat, and found ways to remind everyone that, even in the final hours, he was still the boss.

Samaranch led the Olympics from the brink of economic and political ruin two decades ago to unsurpassed riches and influence at the start of the new millennium.

Standing in Moscow's ornate Hall of Columns, he beamed with pride as Jacques Rogge, a Belgian surgeon and Olympic sailor, was chosen to succeed him as president of the International Olympic Committee.

"This is a very important day in my life," Samaranch said. "It's been so long that I've been head of the IOC. It's a joy to have a credible successor. I am fulfilled. He is young and he knows sport very well."

Samaranch also was granted one of his last -- and most questioned -- wishes when the delegates voted to add his son, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., to the membership. The count was 71-27 with 11 abstentions.

As his son clutched the Olympic flag and pledged to adhere to the ideals of fair play and peace, Samaranch inclined his head and smiled. He draped the gold medallion of membership around his son's neck, and the two embraced and exchanged kisses on the cheek.

The nomination -- the first time an IOC president has seen his son put up for membership -- has been criticized for continuing the old-club traditions that the committee has been trying to shed in the wake of the Salt Lake City bid scandal.

That criticism reached the floor Monday when New Zealand member Tay Wilson, for the second time, questioned the wisdom of allowing a lame-duck president to bring in new members.

Samaranch had some scolding words for Wilson.

"It is the choice of the executive board, not the president," he said. "It will be the same after I leave the presidency."

But the IOC rebuffed Samaranch's efforts on another nominee when it rejected former Swiss President Adolf Ogi, 59-46 with four abstentions. Ogi, a close friend of Samaranch, would have been the sixth Swiss member of the 130-member IOC. Opponents said that was too many.

Samaranch seemed shaken by the rejection of Ogi, who is now United Nations ambassador on sports and peace. His voice trembled as he read out the result. Earlier, he had pleaded with members to accept the nomination, saying it would help relations between the IOC and the UN.

The ceremonial announcement of Rogge's election left the IOC with two presidents for the rest of the day. Rogge formally takes over Friday, so Samaranch was still in charge when the 112th general assembly went back into session, introducing his successor and sharing some wisdom.

"I would like to tell him something," the 81-year-old Spaniard said. "He was elected not only president of the International Olympic Committee. He was voted president of the Olympic movement."

In his last speech, a seemingly unemotional Samaranch said his lowest point came during the Salt Lake City scandal. Even then, he said, the bad times proved to be good.

"These 21 years have been the most important, the most pleasant and joyful of my life," he said. "We weathered many storms, big and small, but they all served their purposes. Even in the darkest days, there is a positive element, a silver lining. The silver lining was that the International Olympic Committee decided to change."

After hours of ceremonies, awards and tributes, it was finally over for Samaranch. Among his last words were his self-description as the "ex-president of the International Olympic Committee."

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