Samaranch should have resigned the minute this scandal became real. But he didn’t. By staying in office, denying accountability, he destroys the very reverence of his position.

Samaranch also, Howard says, "neglected the growing problem of performance enhancing drugs. A belated but tough anti-doping program and major ethics reforms helped restore some credibility." ...

Samaranch said he never considered quitting, citing the unbending support of the IOC executive board and the general assembly, which gave him a 86-2 vote of confidence at the height of the scandal.

Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency candidate, poses in his office after an interview with Reuters in Madrid, Spain, September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera ...

Juan Antonio Samaranch, a former International Olympic Committee president, died Wednesday. He was 89. The Quiron Hospital in Barcelona said Samaranch died after being admitted with heart problems ...

Samaranch angrily defended himself, saying it was up to Spaniards, not foreign journalists, to judge his record. He said he had only a modest role as director general of sports and parliamentary ...

Samaranch showed this week he prefers the old ways by quashing the idea of a debate among the candidates. “It all seems so appropriate,” wrote the Russia Journal, an English-language newspaper.

Samaranch, though, dismissed concerns about gigantism and other issues. Asked about a slate of embarrassing problems that have hit the IOC the last week, he said he did not know of any problems.

However, Samaranch said the IOC does not address such matters beyond ensuring the rights are protected "in the context of the Olympic Games." "We cannot go further than that," he said.

Samaranch, the son of former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, addressed questions about his father’s legacy, asserting that he has never relied on his family name to advance his career.