Monash to aid Olympic bids

The International Olympic Committee has signed an agreement with Monash University, in Melbourne, to create a users' guide for cities competing to hold the Olympic games.

The agreement provides for a university company, Monash Ed, whose partners include two Melbourne firms - the Cambridge Consulting Group and Equiset Global - to prepare advice on programming, finances, the media, security, accommodation and organising Olympic events. For the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the university's information technology faculty developed and operated the official website, Cambridge Consulting supplied management expertise and Equiset Global developed the site.

The joint venture with the IOC is known as Olympic Games Knowledge Services and was announced at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City last week.

IOC president Jacques Rogge called it an Olympic milestone and said that the OGKS would offer organisational support for Olympic host cities, those aspiring to stage the games and, potentially, organisers of other international events such as the All-Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Monash vice-chancellor David Robinson said the partnership with the IOC reflected the university's expertise in global educational services.