Former Olympics chief Juan Antonio Samaranch linked to KGB, book claims

The authors of The KGB Plays Chess even go as far as alleging Mr Samaranch may owe his election to the top Olympic job to the spy network, due to its influence on former Soviet bloc IOC representatives.

Politically, Mr Samaranch, 89 and still the IOC's Honorary President, is best know for his far-Right past. He was a staunch supporter of Spain's late fascist dictator General Franco and his former secretary for sport.

But the book's authors - Yuri Felshtinsky, a Russian-American historian, Vladimir Popov, a former KGB lieutenant colonel, and two chess masters, Viktor Korchnoi and Boris Gulko - claim Mr Samaranch came under the influence of Soviet agents in the late 1970s. His introduction, according to them, arose from a penchant for Russian antiques.

Mr Samaranch was sent to Moscow in 1977 as ambassador to the Soviet Union and Mongolia, a post he held until 1980. At the time, he was also IOC vice-president and head of Olympic protocol.

The USSR prohibited taking objects of cultural and historic value out of the country, and the KGB closely monitored all movement of antiques. The book alleges Mr Samaranch was approached after discreetly sending antiques, jewelry and paintings that he owned back to Spain.

Rather than take official action, the book alleges, the KGB set about cultivating Mr Samaranch as a contact.

His KGB contact, they go on, was a Lt Col Popov, the book's co-author, who claims to have been responsible for several hundred secret sports agents. Popov, who now lives in Canada, alleges that the KGB helped Mr Samaranch to gain power at the head of the IOC in return for him working as "Soviet Sport General" – his codename.

There is no suggestion Mr Samaranch knew of Popov's involvement of thr KGB or did anything improper.

Popov claims that the KGB ensured IOC members from the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc voted for Mr Samaranch in 1980, on the eve of the Moscow Olympic Games. Mr Samaranch succeeded Lord Killanin of Ireland, polling 44 votes to beat Switzerland's Marc Holder, who got 21. He kept the post until 2001, when he was succeeded by Jacques Rogge of Belgium.

The book labels other high ranking Olympic officials as KGB agents. The writers also allege that Mr Samaranch played an influential, though unrecognised role in helping the Russian resort Sochi win the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Mr Samaranch, who suffered a heart attack in Monaco earlier this month, was not available for comment.

Mark Adams, a spokesman for the IOC, denied the claims, describing the contents of the book as "pure speculation".