It has been said that when a great man dies we are all diminished.
This is not, however, the case with Juan Antonio Samaranch, who died yesterday.
For over 20 years Samaranch headed the international Olympic committee, and turned the games from a contest of athletes into the tawdry commercial spectacle it is today.
And as the IOC collected the dollars Samaranch made sure that its members, himself in particular, became rich.
Years ago when I controlled the digital rights to a (very) minor sport a man in London told me that if I wanted it to become an Olympic event he could give me a number in South America to telephone and I would be told the amount I needed to deposit and the account number. This dosh would be on top of the bribes they received from cities wanting to host the Olympics.
The only way to stop this appalling graft is to dismantle the IOC and hold the Games every year in the same place.
Greece needs a financial boost.
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