IOC president Jacques Rogge defended the decision to issue only a reprimand to Rene Fasel for violating ethics rules, and said the IOC executive board member did not commit financial wrongdoing.
Fasel, who also heads the International Ice Hockey Federation, was reprimanded Wednesday for breaking conflict-of-interest rules but escaped without any type of suspension.
Rogge denied the Swiss official received preferential treatment, saying the International Olympic Committee upheld the recommendation of its ethics commission. The panel found that Fasel tarnished the reputation of the Olympic movement by helping a friend profit from a sports marketing deal.
``The proposal of the ethics commission was very clear,'' Rogge said Thursday. ``Mr. Fasel did not commit financial irregularities.''
Fasel retains all his IOC and IIHF positions. In other recent ethics cases, lower-ranking IOC members were barred from serving on IOC commissions for five years.
The ethics probe followed allegations in a Swiss newspaper last year that Fasel received kickbacks from deals struck by the hockey body's marketing partner, Infront Sport Media, and Proc AG, a company run by a childhood friend.
Fasel, who has admitted making an ``error of judgment'' but denied receiving money, was cleared by the IIHF in September after a report from auditing firm Deloitte.
``Mr. Fasel made a mistake to support a personal friend in having a contract with the broadcasting company,'' Rogge said. ``The report was very clear in stating that Mr. Fasel did not benefit personally. However, he has tarnished the reputation of the IOC and therefore he got a reprimand.''
Fasel said Thursday he accepted the reprimand.
``At that time it was poor judgment,'' he said. ``I apologize for that. There was a mistake and I accepted that.''
Fasel said he was not in the room when his IOC board colleagues considered his case.
``They were free to discuss it,'' he said after rejoining the board for Thursday's meetings. ``That was the proposal of the ethics commission and it was discussed and then they accepted.''
Fasel has been president of the IIHF since 1994 and an IOC member since 1995.
Earlier this week, Fasel was re-elected as head of the Association of the International Olympic Winter Sports Federations, which represents the seven sports in the Winter Games. Fasel also headed the IOC's coordination commission for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
