Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. in hot water (idiom) [in hot wot-er] - in a difficult situation in which one is likely to be punished
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. in hot water (idiom) [in hot wot-er] - in a difficult situation in which one is likely to be punished
Example: All of us employees have to follow company
rules to avoid being in hot water.
2. documentary (n.) [dok-yuh-men-tuh-ree, -tree] – video
presenting facts and information, especially about a political, historical, or
social issues
Example: A documentary
about Asian Cultures was shown on TV last night.
3. reprimand (v.) [rep-ruh-mand] – to
formally disapprove a wrongdoing
Example: The mayor reprimanded his staff because they were always late for work.
4. minutes (n) [min-its] – record of meeting; an official record of what
is said or done during a meeting Example: We could see what we
discussed on the minutes of
yesterday’s meeting.
5. mitigate (v.) [mit-i-geyt] – to
make an offense or crime less serious to make something less harsh, severe, or violent
Example: The patient was given medicine to mitigate his stomach pains.
Article
Read the text below.
The International Olympic Committee
(IOC) penalized two world sports officials for receiving personal cash
payments from the sports marketing agency International Sports and Leisure (ISL).
The IOC Ethics Commission
investigated IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) president
Lamine Diack and (CAF) Confederation of African Football head Issa Hayatou who
were in hot water after a
television documentary accused the
two of taking money from the ISL in the 1990s.
Hayatou was eventually reprimanded while Diack received a
warning as a result of the investigation.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said that
their acceptance of the money can be considered a conflict of interest because
ISL was a promoter of sports events that had FIFA, IAAF and other sports
associations as clients. In other words, Diack and Hayatou may have accepted
money so that ISL can continue doing business with their organizations.
Hayatou admitted to receiving 100,000
French francs from ISL in 1995, but said that it was used to celebrate CAF’s
40th anniversary and was not for his personal benefit. As evidence, he
presented minutes of a meeting in
1998 and a note from CAF Finance Director. IOC, however, could not prove through
the evidence if money was really given to the CAF fund.
Meanwhile, Diack confirmed that in
1993, an ISL executive gave him $30,000 and 30,000 French francs, but that the
money was a gift to help rebuild his house that burnt down. He explained that
the marketing contract between ISL and IAAF signed later in that same year
had no connection with the donation given to him.
According to Rogge, the fact Diack
and Hayatou were not IOC members at the time they received money from ISL,
however, mitigates their offenses.
Though given penalties by the IOC
executive board, Diack and Hayatou will remain as IOC members.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do you think the decision of the IOC to only
give the officials warnings was fair? Why or why not?
·
What
would you do if you were reprimanded for something that was not your fault? ?
Discussion B
·
What do
you think should be done to an official or important person who shows negative
behavior?
·
Do
you think your country fairly and properly gives punishments to violating
officials? Why or why not?