The spectre of IOC president Juan Samaranch's penchant for the stiff right hand salute has returned once again to haunt him. Samaranch's past has included torch-lit processions through Barcelona with his untra-right Falange friends as well as a politcally shrewd move during the Spanish Civil war where he lurched from the republican side over to Franco. Franco, of course won and Samaranch's political career took off.

But his adopted homeland of Switzerland this week decided not to grant him honorary citizenship of Lausanne despite the fact that Samaranch himself, the IOC headquarters and the Olympic museum are all located there.

Lausanne council voted 4-3 against the motion to grant him the honorary position. The three conservatives were out numbered by two socialists, one communist and a green.