DOPING CASE | PT ADYATMIKA SAKTI NUSANTARA no.1 Communication Strategic Consultant

Italian Police Raid The Homes Of Austrian Athletes

The Italian police and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) perpetuate their shaking relationship after Italian police raid the home of Austrian athletes in order to check for drug use.

At first, nothing seems wrong, but this event took place after Italian authorities and the IOC disagreed who should be in control of drug testing for athletes. In addition to past disagreements, the two organizations told reporters conflicting stories. The Italians said that they had receiveed the information about possible drug use from the IOC and was working in conjunction with them. The IOC, on the other hand, denied having a hand in the raid saying that the Italian authorities acted alone. Both of the organizations' images have been hurt as a result of the incident and lack of congruency in stories.

The two groups need to communicate with the public and speak openly about the incident and the events that took place. The two organizations need to engage in crisis PR to protect their images. Conflicting stories imply a lack of communication and togetherness between the two authorities which should be working together. Italy's image has been damaged in the eyes of the public as well as the IOC. From the news story, it seems as though the Italian police act on their own will with no organization in the chain of command. Additionally, the stories makes the IOC appear to be weak, lacking authority and the ability to work with Italian authorities. This can raise questions about the validity of either body's authority.

While strict doping laws are essential in the Olympics, their must be a clear body of authority to deal with the drug testing and searches. It should have been made clear very early on in the planning stages of the Olympics who was in charge of regulating drug use.

This event is an example of a crisis PR stituation that could have been avoided with proper planning. The miscommunication between authorities should have never occurred. Preventing preventable crises is an important preemptive step in crisis public relations.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060220/sp_nm/olympics_doping_dc_2

PT ADYATMIKA SAKTI NUSANTARAno.1 Communication Strategic Consultant