The 54 cities which bid for the summer and winter Olympics between 1996 and 2004 will be investigated following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to extend the boundaries of the commission studying allegations of bribery and corruption among their 114 members.
Each city's bidding committee will be approached and asked to recount their experiences through questionnaires which have been sent to the respective bodies, including the British Olympic Association. The deadline for replies has been set for mid-February.
The IOC also confirmed that four members of their new ethics commission will come from outside the current membership.
Among those they plan to approach are former British Prime Minister John Major, former US President Jimmy Carter and George Mitchell, the US senator who played a vital role in the Northern Ireland peace process.
IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch went on the offensive yesterday, insisting he was not paid for his work, did not use luxury cars and stay in top hotels and only accepted gifts for the benefit of the Olympic museum.
He also dismissed allegations that his daughter worked for the Sydney bid committee, claiming she was only an honorary attache to the Australian team during the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
Meanwhile, a senior Olympic leader said yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had issued subpoenas to two educational institutions in Utah and asked them to check the names of some 60 IOC members.
Australian IOC executive board member Kevan Gosper said that he was aware of the FBI's request to the Utah institutes, adding that a list had been given to the universities with 120 names on it, 60 of whom were IOC members.
The FBI investigation has been dominating the conversations of some senior IOC figures in the build-up to today's world doping conference when the credibility of the IOC will be on the line again.
The son of one of the members expelled last week had benefited from Salt Lake money to fund his university education.
It appears that the FBI is now asking the institutions to check the names of the IOC members against their records. Some very senior members of the IOC are believed to be on the list.
But Olympic leaders say it is not the case that the FBI is investigating IOC officials directly.
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