Inside the Olympics - Richard W. Pound

"The only man who could have written this book has done it with candor and style. A lucid and penetrating look at the five–ringed world, filled with Dick Pound's customary insight, frankness and wit. Inside the Olympics wins gold, silver and bronze." – John Powers, Boston Globe Every two years, world attention turns to the Olympic Games for a few short weeks, in a celebration of athletic excellence, competition, and national pride. But in recent years, the Olympic ideal has also been tainted by scandals, greed, and corruption–from bribery, to doing, cheating, politics, and exploitation. Never shy of the issues, Dick Pound reveals the full inside story–both good and bad–of the Games. An Olympian himself, and long–time IOC insider, Pound sheds a bright light on many controversial events and issues surrounding the Olympics, including the conduct of IOC officials, and the doping scandals that he considers the greatest threat to sports today. He also offers a fascinating look at negotiations in the high–stake worlds of television rights and corporate sponsorships, and at the politics, backstabbing, and intrigues that take place behind the scenes in the world of international sports. At times damning, at others prescriptive, sometimes amusing, but always honest and insightful, Inside the Olympics gives a rare personal view on the business, the personalities, the ideals, and the organization behind the world's greatest sporting event.