During his 44-year career, Dick Pound held almost every position in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) except that of President.
Arriving at the mandatory retirement age of 80 in March, the Canadian will have to bow out at the end of the year. The one who transformed the Olympic landscape in terms of television, marketing rights and anti-doping, however, is temporarily continuing his work as an honorary member.
His involvement in the Olympic movement spans more than 60 years and dates back to 1960 when the swimmer from St. Catherines, Ontario competed in the Rome Games while studying law at McGill University. He joined the IOC in 1978.
Members elected after 1999 must retire at age 70. “After that, you no longer have the right to vote. You’re invited to meetings and to the Olympics, but you really don’t have a function anymore except to give advice when no one is listening to you,” Pound explains with a laugh to The Canadian Press.
He was also a member of the management committee, including twice vice-president, for 18 years, starting in 1983. Often assigned to solve the internal and external problems of the IOC, he was at the base of important reforms, while particularly during the presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch, from 1980 to 2001.
“He had a lot of self-confidence and was ready to delegate tasks,” says Pound. “He was like, ‘Listen, just tell me what’s going on. Even if nothing is happening, call me once in a while to tell me that nothing is happening.” »
“I work relatively quickly. Most lawyers are paralyzed in front of a blank page: if you give them a draft contract, they can improve it, but if you give them a blank document, it is very difficult for them to write down the first words. I never had this problem. I write relatively well and quickly, and I don’t get involved in unnecessary or meaningless discussions. »
Dick Pound’s vigor in holding the IOC accountable and his few outspoken public statements stung some colleagues, costing him the few votes needed to succeed Samaranch in 2001.
He had just concluded an investigation involving members of the International Olympic Committee who had accepted bribes for the awarding of the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City.
Ten members had to resign or were expelled, but Dick Pound paid the political cost. Belgian Jacques Rogge was elected president and the Canadian finished third in the ballot. “I knew as soon as I had this file in my hands that I was dead,” he said. People like clean organizations, but cleaners don’t. »
“I’m also not the friendliest person in the world. Some people prefer to be flattered and I’m not one to flatter. »
The plague of doping
At Samaranch’s behest, Dick Pound became the first president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 1999.
A great defender of clean sport, he was quick to tackle the task – he wrote in his book Inside the Olympics, published in 2004, that doping “was the biggest problem in sport”. “As an ex-athlete, you never like to lose, but you know you can’t always win. But that’s a lot different than being cheated. This is what shocks me about doping, ”he explains.
Mr Pound’s comments about cycling and doping at the time sparked open war with then-star Lance Armstrong and the International Cycling Union. In 2006, Armstrong even wrote a letter to the IOC demanding a reprimand. The fallen cycling champion finally admitted in 2013 to having used doping products.
Dick Pound’s presidency at WADA ended in 2007. However, he continued to serve on its board of directors until 2020, leading a large investigation into doping within athletics. Russian in 2015.
“We make sure to let the athletes know that sooner or later they are going to get caught. We keep samples for 10 years and the science improves every year. It will be constant work, however, because there will always be sociopaths who don’t care about what they promise, who don’t care about the rules,” he notes.
The IOC man
Dick Pound was the IOC man when lucrative television deals were signed in the 1980s and 1990s, giving the organization complete independence from governments and host cities.
Last May, the IOC President, Thomas Bach, praised his work, saying of the Canadian that he had been “inexhaustible determination and inspiration”.
“You were always ready to launch lively discussions on several subjects,” Bach noted. Sometimes, some considered them too poisonous, others found that there were too many. But we have always felt your steadfast commitment to the Olympic values, the IOC organization and clean sport. It has been and always will be your motivation. »
With the departure of Dick Pound, the President of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Tricia Smith, will be Canada’s sole representative at the IOC.
Mr. Pound says he ended his address to IOC members last May out of “good luck” — since they will need it. “In an increasingly polarized world, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain one’s principles. But if you don’t, it’s the end of you. »