Samaranch to call halt to IOC trips

International Olympic Committee members will no longer be allowed to visit cities bidding to host the Games as part of a new anti-corruption drive ordered by president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

The IOC have been shaken by accusations of rampant corruption and vote-buying masterminded by agents. Swiss member Marc Holder estimated that five to seven per cent of the 115 committee members were open to bribery.

But Samaranch said yesterday: "I can tell you that the trips of IOC members to candidate cities are terminated."

Visits by IOC members to bidding cities have long been considered fraught with the dangers of corruption. Members fly first-class, stay in the best hotels and are wined and dined.

In recent years, the IOC has attempted to tighten the rules by restricting the visits to three days and putting a £90 limit on the value of gifts offered to members.

The IOC visits have come under special scrutiny in light of the misconduct allegations surrounding Salt Lake City's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Salt Lake officials have admitted that six relatives of IOC members were among those who benefited from nearly £250,000 in scholarship aid from the bid committee.

Samaranch has also called for a special meeting of his executive board for January 23rd-24th in the wake of the scandal.

Earlier yesterday, IOC committee member Phil Coles expanded on the view that Beijing would probably have beaten Sydney for the 2000 Summer Games if current demands for a change in procedure had been in place in 1993.

The Australian said if the decision to select the Olympic venue was left to the 11-strong IOC executive board, the Chinese capital would have been the likely winner when the vote was taken five years ago.

"I know of three or four of the executive board in 1993 before the decision was made who were committed to China so if the decision was left to them, my guess is that Sydney would not have won it," Coles said.

Coles, however, was arguing to retain the present system whereby all 114 IOC members have a vote. He said 72 IOC members visited Sydney during the bidding period in 1992-93.

"I would estimate that 75 percent of the members who came here had never been to Australia before so they only had a vision of Sydney from a plan on paper," he said.