SQUAW VALLEY OLYMPICS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28748, 20 November 1958, Page 9

SQUAW VALLEY OLYMPICS

Three Officials Resign (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) DENVER (Colorado). Nov. 18. Mr Tad Michel, director of the Winter Olympic Games at Squaw Valley, California, resigned today and declared that the games were “headed for trouble” because of lack of preparation and organised planning. Mr Michel, who was born in Poland, and helped plan the last Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956, is the third American Olympics official to resign. The others were Alan Bartholomy, the tcchj nical director of the 1960 Winter l Olympics, and Roger Thompson, assistant public relations director. In an interview Mr Michel claimed he was told to be “as vague as possible” when conferring with the Olympic committees of other countries.

A spokesman for the committee in charge of the arrangements for. the Winter Olympics said Mr Michel had been in the United States only eight months and was

“not suited to be the number one official in the Olympic village setup.” Robert King, executix’e director for the games, said Mr Michel had been gix’en a pay increase which took his salary up to 10,000 dollars a year from November 1. He said the official had demanded subsequent pay increases and had refused to work under the direction of the managing director of facilities.