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Olympic Politics, Intrigue and Sports Marketing History Recounted in IOC Insider's New Book
Michael Payne's memoir reveals how the Olympic Partner program generated $3 billion by 2024 and navigated Cold War boycotts, global politics, and commercial-free venue policies.
- Michael Payne, former IOC marketing director, recounts more than four decades of Olympic intrigue in Fast Tracks and Dark Deals, starting his career in the early 1980s and joining the Lausanne-based IOC after the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
- After the 1984 Los Angeles Games, TOP's first cycle from 1985-88 earned $96 million, funding billions to hosts, Olympic bodies, and athletes.
- Payne recalls vivid behind-the-scenes episodes, including blockbuster TV-rights negotiations and a 'bizarre' meeting in Rupert Murdoch's Manhattan office, plus shutting off a McDonald's golden arches sign during the athlete parade to enforce clean-venue policy.
- The IOC faces immediate consequences, including an IOC marketing review ordered last year by Kirsty Coventry amid sponsor pressure, while Payne warns the Ukraine case will delay lifting the Russian Olympic Committee suspension.
- Payne places TOP's rise in a global context, noting it peaked when Alibaba and Jack Ma signed a deal with then-IOC president Thomas Bach at Davos in 2017 and credits Juan Antonio Samaranch's skill for protecting the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
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Olympic Politics: Intrigue and Debates from 'Fast Tracks and Dark Deals' | Sports-Games
Olympic Politics: Intrigue and Debates from 'Fast Tracks and Dark Deals' Michael Payne's book, 'Fast Tracks and Dark Deals', offers an insider's perspective on the political intricacies and financial strategies that have shaped the Olympic Games over the past four decades. As the former marketing director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Payne recounts his experiences with Cold War politics, sponsorship struggles, and the challenges…
·India
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Associated Press News+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Olympic politics, intrigue and sports marketing history recounted in IOC insider's new book
Political pressure on Olympic officials, like in the case of the Ukraine skeleton racer’s memorial helmet at the Milan Cortina Games, is nothing new, according to a long-time IOC insider.
·United States
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 40%
C 50%
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