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Blue_Jays t1_j6x4dw2 wrote

Olympics corrupt? Say it isn't so!

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BeachesBeTripin t1_j6xcmim wrote

The only reason the Russians get caught every other year is bcs some Russian official pockets too much of the bribes.

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CrimsonFox2370 t1_j6xnnfk wrote

Say it ain't so I will not go Turn the lights off Carry me home

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CountryCaravan t1_j6xyj80 wrote

A good rule of thumb is to assume that every multinational organization has corruption problems or deals with corrupt entities by default.

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BaconSoul t1_j6zgvhy wrote

Yep. It’s baked into the profit motive to, when attempting to bring about financial gain, break the rules in every way that you believe won’t get you caught.

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NevarNi-RS t1_j70thb8 wrote

This article is about TOCOG, not the IOC, an entirely different entity and independent from the IOC, often at odds with the IOC(or was)

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wyonutrition t1_j6x6yr7 wrote

This would be assuming there was any public trust in the Olympics to begin with

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pongomanswe t1_j6xaizm wrote

“Let’s bring Russians back to sports. Sports are apolitical.” Says the Olympic Committee after having allowed Russia, China and others to bribe themselves to hosting the games and using them for political reasons.

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PapstJL4U t1_j6xnpir wrote

for a moment Fifa looked like the most corrupt and morally bankrupt sports organization.

"We can't have that", thought the IOC

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PM_ME_OVERT_SIDEBOOB t1_j6xrfgm wrote

Fifa still the answer tho the Olympics ain’t much better at the moment. Historically, yeah I’ll give it to the Olympics. There have been some questionable host sites

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pongomanswe t1_j6xrnkq wrote

It probably makes business sense for them too - if FIFA gobbles up all the bribes, how are the IOC members going to fund their yachts? Think about their children! They have to take a firm stance and stand for the true spirit of the organisation, unbridled corruption, as set out in the Olympic motto: “SWIFT; Hired, by strongmen”

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The_ODB_ t1_j6xvpe0 wrote

China hosted the 2022 Olympics because the only other applicant was Kazakhstan. Bribes were not needed.

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Chitownitl20 t1_j6yjbs5 wrote

Mind the USA bribes the Olympics committee more than anyone. Have you ever seen the Coke advertisements?

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Doyoueverjustlikeugh t1_j6y0mfk wrote

China is the one of the largest countries in the world with a rich culture, why wouldn't they host the Olympics. Did Britain bribe the Olympic Committee too?

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Ferris_Wheel_Skippy t1_j6xqlg2 wrote

at this point, who hasn't bribed the IOC to win hosting rights for the Olympics lmfao

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zernoc56 t1_j704tjd wrote

FIFA and the IOC, the world’s bicycles. Anyone gets a ride if they have the cash.

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ShadowTacoTuesday t1_j6yl812 wrote

So… criminal charges, fines, meaningful penalties, or only a stern public “How could you!?”

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wyonutrition t1_j6yvn6f wrote

who would penalize who? this is basically a private company doing business as usual at this point haha

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ShadowTacoTuesday t1_j6z8bei wrote

Yeah I figured there was no form of oversight to begin with. Well, thoughts and prayers.

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Clobber420 t1_j6x0mcb wrote

How'd they get caught?

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MickIAC t1_j6xxabf wrote

There was an investigation into the Tokyo 2020 organising committee board (notably separate from the IOC) likely due to the closeness of certain members with the ad agencies.

A lot of this corruption stems through Takahashi. Bids were "open" but were effectively handed to preferred agencies, with nearly half the test events having one bidder in each category. Believe it was 26 of the 56 or something.

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iwascompromised t1_j6yw5a7 wrote

A company I worked for at the two previous Olympics has been providing services at the Olympics since at least the mid-2000s. They couldn’t even get a foot in for a chance at bidding these for their services.

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MickIAC t1_j71kizq wrote

What service sector if you don't mind me asking?

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walterpeck1 t1_j6x4ara wrote

>Prosecutors say Takahashi acted in ways to favor the companies with sponsorships and other benefits related to the Olympics in return for the bribes.

That's the only info provided in the article, not a whole lot to gleam there other than he was acting suspicious and was on the radar of authorities (or got snitched on, who knows).

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thephogisreal t1_j6x4u88 wrote

That's not what was asked lmao

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loseitthrowaway7797 t1_j6xas78 wrote

> Prosecutors say Takahashi acted in ways to favor the companies with sponsorships and other benefits related to the Olympics in return for the bribes.

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NlXON t1_j6xbeoe wrote

That's not what was asked lmao

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Zederikus t1_j6xc6sa wrote

Prosecutors say Takahashi acted in ways to favor the companies with sponsorships and other benefits related to the Olympics in return for the bribes.

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walterpeck1 t1_j6xc4o5 wrote

I was providing the only info from the article available that explained how they got caught, which is that one member of the company that was at the center of the corruption charges did the above.

I know it's not a lot of info, I was just trying to save a click here.

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ILikeSpottedCow t1_j6xklpp wrote

Don't answer if you don't know the correct answer then

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walterpeck1 t1_j6xlazi wrote

Well excuse me for trying to be helpful. I'll be super careful next time just for you.

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Smtxom t1_j6xxm79 wrote

Stop wasting my time reading this dumb comment and get me my pictures of Spider-Man!

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Scrubologist t1_j6xexuo wrote

Qatar enters the chat

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Hyperi0us t1_j6zdqfm wrote

FIFA, FIA, and the IOC are in a 3-way competition to see who can be the most corrupt, morally reprehensible governing body in all of sports

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DogsbeDogs t1_j6zt6hf wrote

Just wait for FIBA to continue growing. They will be throwing their hat in the ring soon enough.

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ME5SENGER_24 t1_j71kg18 wrote

Hey Lebron would like a word with you on behalf of his overlords

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PuckFigs t1_j6zyofw wrote

>most corrupt, morally reprehensible governing body in all of sports

UCI has entered the chat

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Eedat t1_j6xq1sv wrote

Isn't bribery just the baseline for how the Olympics function?

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Xu_Lin t1_j6xrosj wrote

Who will commit Sudoku this time?

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Toshiba1point0 t1_j6y1yca wrote

Sepuku? lol Probably easier than any of those 5 star puzzles on Saturday at any rate

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Xu_Lin t1_j6y3rho wrote

Well yes, seppuku would be correct, but the joke wouldn’t work lol

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Available_Job1288 t1_j6y9btc wrote

On the plus side, any corruption in Japan is almost guaranteed to be punished, as prosecutors have a 99% conviction rate or something crazy like that on charges of that nature.

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uchunokata t1_j6ys4e9 wrote

They have to actually press charges for that to be true.

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Spiritofhonour t1_j6zo0c7 wrote

Laughs in Tepco.

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Available_Job1288 t1_j6zq5vn wrote

Based on the info in the article, I don’t think the wrong decision was made.

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Spiritofhonour t1_j711wbk wrote

They were found civilly liable.

“At the time of the disaster, Japan’s nuclear regulator was severely criticised for its collusive ties with the nuclear industry, resulting in the formation of a new watchdog that has imposed stricter criteria for the restart of nuclear reactors that were shut down in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.”

“Collusive ties”

“The ruling echoed the conclusion reached by an independent parliamentary investigation, which described the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown as a “man-made” disaster caused by poor regulation and collusion between the government, Tepco and the industry’s then watchdog, the nuclear and industrial safety agency.”

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positiveaboutstuff t1_j6yeo55 wrote

Why is it always shameful for countries and corporates to bribe Olympic officials, the same Olympic officials i might add, but no one is talking about the shame of accept or asking for the bribe. Then boycotting the olympics

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PoopPhorPrez t1_j6yohhv wrote

The equivalent of $480,000. That seems kinda low and almost inconsequential as far as bribes go.

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Car-face t1_j6ypzs2 wrote

The bribe was to be the printer of the official guide/travel books.

A lot of people don't seem to have read the article and think it's a bombshell, but it's literally a guide book company saying "here's some money, pick us for your printing needs".

Still completely illegal, and it's good they're being investigated and punished, but it's amazing how many redditors suddenly worry about bribery for advertising & publishing contracts when

a) They probably wouldn't give a shit or even notice if it didn't mention the olympics

and

b) It probably happens a lot more often than they think when it comes to smaller contracts outside the public sphere.

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DogsbeDogs t1_j6zthlj wrote

Agreed. This basically happens for most government contracts.

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teapoison t1_j6zx5hu wrote

I'd still think it's shitty and corruption of any form is news worthy. Even if the bribe was relatively low I'm sure the contract was a big one as far as that work goes.

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HesNot_TheMessiah t1_j6xcc1n wrote

They broke directive number 1.

The old man would be very disappointed.

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YawaruSan t1_j6zrb6w wrote

Rather than feigning shock when people involved in the Olympics are corrupt, how about we acknowledge the fundamental problem with the Olympics as a institution that encourages this behavior? Bribery and cheating aren’t sullying the Olympics, the Olympics promote cheating and bribery because people don’t value competition, just winning.

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All_Usernames_Tooken t1_j6xkhn2 wrote

Which company I can’t read?

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MickIAC t1_j6xxi0d wrote

Kadokawa is one of just a few to admit. Dentsu is the biggest ad agency in Japan, then you have former Aoki board members facing sentencing in April.

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HimalayanPunkSaltavl t1_j6xmhjj wrote

https://group.kadokawa.co.jp/global/

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Binkusu t1_j6y58ag wrote

Kadokawa the weeb company?

Though I don't know what else they do

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HimalayanPunkSaltavl t1_j6y8zoe wrote

Oh I dunno, I just linked the webzone of the main company listed in the article. They list a bunch of others as well

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Car-face t1_j6yp5ut wrote

They're mentioned in the article as a guide book/travel agency company.

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salotx t1_j705n8t wrote

In Japan, there is an idea to open the 2030 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Hokkaido. And now, Sapporo citizens are more than 60% opposed to the plan. I'm not a citizen of Sapporo, but I also hope the Olympics will not be held. Even so, it's really embarrassing.😢

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LAESanford t1_j6xumbl wrote

And the Olympic committee betrayed public trust as well

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Dr_ManTits_Toboggan t1_j6y8n4h wrote

Can we agree that the real problem is that these international sports organizations are taking bribes? Paying a bribe is bad but most of the blame is on those accepting the bribes, and apparently requiring them to do business.

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bortmode t1_j6zq4hq wrote

The recipient of the bribe was part of the Japanese Olympic committee, not the IOC, and was also arrested and is facing a bunch of charges.

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galacticwonderer t1_j6yozuc wrote

Olympic bribery is akin to doping for the Tour de France. Is it even possible to win and be squeaky clean? Everyone seems to say no so I wonder what’s gunna keep happening….

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[deleted] t1_j6z545f wrote

Just wait til you hear about the behind the scenes of the World Cup

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c340 t1_j6z9tdh wrote

"why does he have cash in his hand?"

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sasquach88 t1_j6zea4t wrote

Most important: Will this affect the new Overlord anime movie??? Wait!! Nooo.

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daccorn t1_j6zpx70 wrote

Chuck Rhoades has done it again!

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Taphouselimbo t1_j6ybugm wrote

That’s the good ole USA corporate influence and work right there.

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sirdodger t1_j6z5jy4 wrote

Corporate greed and corruption existed before the USA was U, S or A.

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Taphouselimbo t1_j6zbk2t wrote

No one is arguing that point. But don’t let your business grow up to be considered legal people.

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Taphouselimbo t1_j6ys36q wrote

Down vote haters. I suppose it is legally ok to have companies in the US bribe officials it has a cool name Citizen’s United. Grow up and make it better.

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Harvick4Pats11 t1_j6x0950 wrote

Didn't read it but from the title someone is falling on their sword

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Genji_sama t1_j6x6zzw wrote

Wow there are so few comments and yet you have so many downvotes.

Doesn't look like any ody fell on there sword, some guy is suspected of bribery and is denying the charges. Held for 4 months then released with pending charges.

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