Top Olympic official Richard Pound said Saturday the arrest of a reputed Russian mobster charged with fixing results at the Salt Lake City Winter Games is a matter of huge concern. Pound, a lawyer, told Canadian television (CBC) that Olympics officials "always thought there were trade-offs within the sport, and particularly ice dancing. But, we kind of thought that if there was a so-called 'Mafia,' it was a 'skating Mafia'."
Italian police on Wednesday arrested alleged Russian crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, who is being held in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and influence voting at the Olympics through bribery.
Pound, who lost the IOC presidency to Jacques Rogge last year, now heads the world anti-doping agency.