As president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Robert Helmick had a job whose power and prestige were rivaled only by the nobility of its ideals: patriotism, sportsmanship and international understanding. For the past six years, the Des Moines lawyer and former water-polo star controlled a $75 million annual budget and headed a federation of 41 organizations that train and finance America's Olympic athletes.
But last week Helmick's reign ended abruptly amid reports that he had accepted payments from organizations seeking Olympic contracts. His sudden resignation from the unsalaried post shook the USOC and sapped public confidence during a crucial fund-raising period,...
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