Richard Pound, the Canadian who has led the investigation in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, has long been touted as a successor to Juan Antonio Samaranch.
As the IOC's chief negotiator for broadcast rights and corporate sponsorship, Pound, aged 56, has helped turn the Olympics into a global industry. The Olympics lost money in the '70s; today, the enterprises directed by Pound generate $2 billion in revenue for each games.
At 18, Pound qualified for the 1960 Olympics in Rome, finishing sixth in the 100 metres freestyle final. He reasoned that training for the 1964 Olympics would delay his studies in accounting and law school, and retired.
In 1968 he became secretary of the Canadian Olympic Association. By 1977 he had risen to president. Because Montreal had hosted the games in 1976, Canada was granted a second permanent seat on the IOC and in 1978 Pound was elected.
When Juan Antonio Samaranch came to power in 1980 he needed IOC members who knew sports and business. Pound fitted the bill. He was charged with negotiating television rights, forcing NBC to pay $3.5 billion. He also realised corporate sponsorship was an unexploited source of revenue for the organisation.
