- guardian.co.uk, Sunday July 22 2001 02.05 BST
He has been president of the International Olympic Committee for less than 48 hours but already Jacques Rogge must be wondering what he has let himself in for in the next eight years.
Of course, there is the ongoing controversy over the IOC's decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing. But there are other serious problems Rogge must deal with, including building bridges, the giantism of the Games, the growing anti-American feeling within the IOC and doping. With his predecessor, Juan Antonio Samaranch, in hospital, it was left to the IOC first vice-president Keba Mbaye to hand Rogge the keys to Chteau de Vidy, the organisation's marbled headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva, on Friday.
'It is a symbol of the ship's wheel that you will now be guiding,' Mbaye told Rogge, a three-time Olympic sailor. 'It will be a difficult task as the ship has become overloaded, capricious and the ocean is tempestuous. But I know you are a good captain.'
His first job will be to deal with a mutiny among his shipmates. His principal rivals for president, Kim Un-Yong, of South Korea, and Dick Pound, of Canada, each claimed Samaranch pulled strings for Rogge during the election in Moscow last Monday. 'My task is to unite the IOC and not to put oil on the fire,' said Rogge. 'I will work most co-operatively with the other members.' Already, he has asked Pound to resume his duties following the Canadian's abrupt resignation as IOC marketing chief and chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
For Rogge, a 59-year-old Belgian surgeon, the fight against drugs in sport figures top of his agenda, especially now football has been tainted. Unlike Samaranch he is perceived as being serious about dealing with the problem rather than paying lip service to it.
Rogge has acknowledged that the US status within the IOC does not reflect the power it wields both from a financial and sports standpoint. That is because there's a lot of ill feeling towards America after the Salt Lake City corruption scandal which forced the departure of 10 members from the IOC after they accepted favours from the bidding committee.
'The United States win the most medals at the summer Games,' Rogge said. 'They produce the most money from television rights and nine of the 11 Olympic sponsors are American companies. They hold a special place in the Olympic movement.'
Rogge is also committed to reducing the size of the Olympics. That will disappoint rugby union, which has lodged another application to be part of the Games. Rogge is a fanatical rugby fan - he played for Belgium and is a regular visitor to Twickenham. He would love to have the sport in the Games but it would be incompatible with his beliefs to introduce a team sport with 15 players a side.
But these are all minor issues compared to what will ultimately define whether Rogge's presidency is judged a success or not - China. That country's leadership hardly did him any favours when, on the day he assumed command, they relaunched their campaign against the Falun Gong and Tibetan separatists, two of the most high-profile protesters to Beijing hosting the 2008 Games.
First, Chinese vice-premier Li Lanqing unveiled an anti-Falun Gong exhibition. Then, vice-president Hu Jintao attended ceremonies marking the fiftieth anniversary of the 'Peaceful Liberation of Tibet'. Jacques, it could be a long and difficult eight years.
