As the International Olympic Committee extends its investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption during Nagano's bid for the 1998 Winter Games, Osaka officials wonder what the effect will be on their bid for the 2008 Summer Games.
For in addition to the disappointment over the timing of the scandal, they had apparently hoped to use some of the basic strategies of the "Nagano Plan" to win the Olympics. "The IOC scandal has left Olympic supporters in City Hall and the Kansai Economic Federation upset because it messed up their promotional plans, which were, to a large extent, based on Nagano's plans. It will be a lot harder, if not impossible, to lavish gifts on IOC officials now," said one senior economic official, who insisted his name not be used, who was directly involved in Osaka's Olympic bid several years ago.
While city officials denied they spoke to Nagano Olympic officials about how to get around IOC regulations on entertainment, they did receive some direct advice on this matter late last year from a higher authority. At a gathering of Osaka Olympic supporters, IOC Executive Board member Chiharu Igaya said in order to win the Games, it was necessary to "take care" of IOC members and their families.