You could her it in the voice of the delegates from the moderately tyrannical military dictatorships. "But what about my delegation's champagne budget? What about our escorts? We can't be giving money away to athletes at a time like this!!!" What was all the fuss?

In an extraordinary move believed to be a first for the powerful international body, the IOC promised Wednesday to help bail out the 2010 organizing committee if it fails to balance its operating budget by the time the Games conclude next February. A relieved Dave Cobb, deputy CEO of the Vancouver 2010 organizing committee, said the commitment enables VANOC to go ahead and spend what it needs on the Games -- fewer than six months away -- without having to worry about a budget shortfall. "We've always felt that the IOC is our partner, and they have told us ... that they will help us through these difficult times," said Mr. Cobb.

What an extraordinary idea! The people who set up the dog and pony show of the Olympics actually treating it like their responsibility and not a revenue stream. But keep in mind how Olympic-ese works. Sometimes words do not mean what they appear to mean:

Both sides played down remarks earlier this month by IOC president Jacques Rogge, who told an interviewer that VANOC needed to do "a bit more" to promote the Games. "If it was a criticism, it was a very minor one, wrapped up in a lot of praise," contended the head of IOC communications, Mark Adams.

I would hope that the funding guarantee makes it to paper.