Olympics President's Wife Dies Suddenly
S Y D N E Y, Australia, Sept. 16 -- The wife of International OlympicCommittee President Juan Antonio Samaranch died today inBarcelona, the state news agency in Spain reported.
No details were immediately available. Maria TeresaSalisachs-Rowe, 67, reportedly had been suffering from cancer.
Samaranch left Sydney early Saturday (Friday evening ET) to bewith his wife in Barcelona, just hours after presiding at theopening of his final Olympics as IOC president. However, she died before he arrived home.
IOC First Vice President Dick Pound of Canada assumed the roleof president in Samaranch’s absence.
Pound, who will chair the daily joint meetings of the IOCexecutive board and Sydney organizing committee, said it would bebusiness as usual.
“We’re just all helping out the boss as best we can. Hisobjective is the organization should continue to run as if he werehere,” he told The Associated Press.
Before he left, Pound said, Samaranch had planned to be back inSydney by the end of next week.
Anita DeFrantz of the United States, who will become the IOC first vicepresident at the close of the games, said: “He’ll be in touch.He’ll know what’s going on. He’s put in place the way things oughtto run. We’ll do our best to fulfill his wishes.”
IOC officials said Mrs. Samaranch suffered a rapid deteriorationin her condition and was rushed to the hospital.
“She’s gravely ill,” Kevan Gosper, an IOC vice president fromAustralia, and one of Samaranch’s closest friends, said before thereport of her death.
“I thought he was courageous and demonstrated his commitment bycoming to Sydney.”
‘His Feelings Lie With His Wife’
The Sydney Games are Samaranch’s last Olympics as president ofthe IOC. The 80-year-old Spaniard is to step down next July after21 years in office.
Samaranch and his wife have two children, Maria Teresa and JuanAntonio.
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