USOC offers Brazil apology
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GUATEMALA CITY — The United States Olympic Committee has apologized to the people of Brazil and, specifically, Rio de Janeiro, for an incident at the Pan American Games, which open Friday.
The incident involved the message “Welcome to the Congo!” written in red ink on a whiteboard at the USOC office in the main media center. A photo of the message, with USOC staffer Kevin Neuendorf standing in front of it, appeared Saturday in a Brazilian newspaper.
The USOC has also sent apologies in person to the mayor of Rio de Janeiro and senior Brazilian Olympics officials, among others.
Although it was unclear who wrote the offensive message, the USOC sent home Neuendorf.
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Anita DeFrantz of Los Angeles suffered an overwhelming defeat in her bid for a place on the 15-member International Olympic Committee executive board.
DeFrantz received only six of 92 votes in a four-person field.
-- Philip Hersh
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