BRIEFLY : IOC SCANDAL CLAIMS ITS FOURTH MEMBER.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

A fourth IOC member implicated in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal resigned Wednesday, three days after he was accused of accepting payments arranged by the bidders.

Kenya's Charles Mukora, one of six IOC members facing expulsion, proclaimed his innocence even as he quit. David Sibandze of Swaziland, Libya's Bashir Mohammed Attarabulsi and Finland's Pirjo Haeggman had previously quit, and five others have been essentially ousted pending a formal IOC vote in mid-March.

Mukora, 64, denied receiving any money personally. The IOC said he received $34,650, but Mukora said the cash was for ``sports development in Kenya'' and ``world-youth sporting activities.''

Officials in Turin, Italy, and Zakopane, Poland, both trying to win the 2006 Winter Games, oppose the rule changes in bidding for future sites. The IOC recommends a ban on visits by IOC members and wants a 15-member panel to choose the host. The Turin and Zakopane groups say this puts first-time bidders at a disadvantage.

Organizers of the 2004 Athens Summer Games said staging the Olympics permanently in Greece as a scandal-stopping move ``isn't the answer.'' Constantine Bakouris, managing director of the 2004 Games, said it would be ``very difficult to deprive the other countries of organizing'' the Olympics.

BASEBALL: San Diego Padres left-hander Sterling Hitchcock, who beat former Cy Young winners in three straight playoff starts, agreed to a $15.5 million, three-year contract.

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to terms on a two-year contract with starting pitcher Omar Daal, avoiding salary arbitration. ESPN reported that the deal is worth almost $7 million over two years.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Jose Mesa has settled a civil lawsuit filed by one of two women who accused him of sexual assault. The lawsuit was settled out of court Tuesday, less than a week before trial was scheduled to begin. Terms of the settlement were not released.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed left-handed pitcher Jim Abbott to a one-year contract for a guaranteed $600,000.

The St. Louis Cardinals filled their need for a second baseman, agreeing to a $1.25 million, one-year contract with free agent Carlos Baerga.

The New York Yankees invited Darryl Strawberry and 17 other nonroster players to their spring-training camp.

WINTER SPORTS: Chris Witty of the United States and Jan Bos of the Netherlands shattered the rink record for the second straight day as they won 1,000-meter races at a World Cup speedskating meet in Collalbo, Italy.

Witty, the women's 500-meter world champion, won the 1,000 meters race in one minute, 17.28 seconds as she edged World Cup leader Monique Garbrecht of Germany by 0.10 seconds.

ETC.: Karrie Webb and Juli Inkster each shot 5-under-par 67s to take the first-round lead in The Office Depot Golf Tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla. . . . Maurice Greene, rated the top 100-meter runner in the world last year by Track and Field News, has signed to run in the Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet at the Sports Arena on Feb. 13.