Valentino Castellani, the chief organiser of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics (TOROC), has resigned 15 months before the Games are due to start.
It seems that Castellani, who will formally submit his resignation on 24 November, is feeling "undermined" by the Italian government's nomination of Mario Pescante, culture ministry undersecretary and former head of the Italian Olympic Committee, as overall supervisor for the Games.
Quote:
"The powers given to Pescante ... represent a lack of confidence in the work done here up until now, and above all, in the capacity to continue it..."
TOROC has been criticised for a $227 million budget shortfall; plus, as usual with Olympic events, there has been a distinct lack of enthusiam in the host nation for the event.
TOROC has also been under attack from the media, Il Giornale has publicly "shredded" every detail of TOROC's financing; alleging that excessive amounts have been set aside for food, wine and plane tickets.
Excess spending on drink and hospitality, by Olympic officials, surely not!
Let's face it, the Olympics are regarded by those who organise them as nothing more than a large trough of money in which they gorge themselves like pigs.
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