Olympic trademark bill draws protest

Sen. Bob Coffin said the Olympic rings were tarnished by the recent scandal involving Utah and members of the International Olympic Committee and did not warrant special treatment by Nevada.

"I remember vividly the efforts of northern Nevada to bring the Olympics to this area in the '80s," he said, referring to Reno's battle with Salt Lake City, Anchorage and Denver to bid for the Olympics.

"Now we found out that the people of northern Nevada were cheated - cheated by a bunch of thieves," he said. "Those five rings are pretty rusty."

Investigators have found the Salt Lake Organizing Committee gave more than $1 million in cash, free medical care, travel and scholarships to IOC members or their relatives before the 1995 IOC vote giving Salt Lake the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The trademark protection measure, SB6, passed the Senate 17-4. Sens. Coffin, Valerie Wiener, Dina Titus, and Terry Care, all Las Vegas Democrats, voted against the bill. Olympics.

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