Some people call it stroke-making. Others call it moving with the times. but the IOC appear to want to bend the rules to accommodate top sprinters Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene, who both flunked out in the US Olympic 200 metres trial in Sacramento last week

IOC president Samaranch suggested they would be prepared to look into the idea of wild cards for defending champions who might otherwise not be selected by their countries in certain disciplines.

"The wild cards are not the responsibility of the International Olympic Committee," said Samaranch. "It must be a request coming from the IAAF. If the IAAF makes this request, I think the IOC is ready to study this request in a positive way."

This is what Samaranch means by openness and transparency, changing the rules 48 days before the Games begin.