IOC EXPELS 6 MEMBERS.

Byline: Associated Press 

Acting swiftly to try to save its credibility, the International Olympic Committee ousted six members Sunday in an unprecedented housecleaning stemming from the biggest corruption scandal in Olympic history.

With the future of the organization, its president and the Games themselves under threat, the IOC said it was determined to bring to an end ``the ugliest chapter'' in its 105-year history.

Embattled IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch apologized to the world for the Salt Lake City scandal but vowed to stay in office and restore the prestige of the Olympics. He and other Olympic leaders took pains to reassure international corporate sponsors that the Games would regain their luster.

``This is the beginning, not the end of our work,'' Samaranch said. ``I am certain that the Olympic movement will emerge from the crisis stronger than ever.''

Samaranch said he had ``temporarily excluded'' the six members, with a final vote due in March. The head of the investigation, IOC vice president Dick Pound, said the six were essentially expelled and could only ask to be reinstated by the remaining 106 IOC members.

A special inquiry found eight IOC members had pocketed more than $440,000 in cash and excessive gifts and services. One, Jean-Claude Ganga of the Republic of Congo, received more than $216,000, the report said.

The action came at the end of a two-day emergency meeting to deal with a spiraling crisis that started with allegations of vote-buying in Salt Lake's winning bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

While the scandal broke little over a month ago, the IOC acted quickly, in part to placate international corporations that pay millions of dollars in Olympic sponsorships.

Those members recommended for expulsion were Ganga, Agustin Arroyo of Ecuador, Zein El Abdin Ahmed Abdel Gadir of Sudan, Lamine Keita of Mali, Charles Mukora of Kenya and Sergio Santander of Chile.

Still under investigation were Louis Guirandou-N'Diaye of the Ivory Coast, Kim Un-yong of South Korea and Vitaly Smirnov of Russia.

In addition, Anton Geesink of the Netherlands was issued a warning.

David Sibandze of Swaziland resigned Sunday, the third member to quit in the Salt Lake scandal in six days. Finland's Pirjo Haeggman and Libya's Bashir Mohamed Attarabulsi resigned last week.

Samaranch urged the six to quit.

``Do not wait to be expelled by the session,'' he said. ``Put an end to the ugliest chapter in the history of the Olympic Games.

``These members have done great harm to the Olympic ideal. Now their greatest service to the Olympic movement is simply to accept their fate.''

In Salt Lake, Olympic organizers said they were pleased by the ``speed and efficiency'' of the IOC's investigation but also conceded they made some mistakes.

``We are deeply saddened. Some of these actions should not have taken place,'' said Robert Garff, chairman of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. ``Some of those actions were below the standards expected by this community.''

U.S. Olympic Committee president Bill Hybl said his panel should have had a closer watch on Salt Lake organizers but would not allow corruption to return.

``We look back and ask, `Should we have been better detectives? Should we have done a better job at oversight of Salt Lake City?' '' Hybl said. ``The answer is yes, you can always do a better job.

``I can assure you in the future we're going to do better. The presence of the USOC should be to ensure that these types of practices don't go on with the bidding cities. We need to make sure it is a level playing field.''

Samaranch said the IOC would broaden its investigation to other bids stretching from the Games of 1996 to 2006. But he stressed that Salt Lake would keep the Winter Games and Sydney would remain host of the 2000 Summer Games - despite the scandal that now encompasses both cities.

He said he would send two top officials to Sydney within three weeks to investigate the situation there.

The IOC board also recommended a radical change in the selection process for the 2006 Winter Games. Under the proposal, visits to bid cities by IOC members will be banned and the host will be selected this June by a 15-person body rather than the full assembly.