The man at the head of the Olympic movement in Bermuda has welcomed the inquiry into the bribery scandal over the selection of Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games and the purge of corrupt officials resulting from it.

Austin Woods, president of Bermuda Olympic Association, said he had been hearing rumours of corruption among those who select host cities for the Games for years.

And he felt that the inquiry which has led to the resignation or expulsion of nine disgraced members of the International Olympic Committee should have come sooner.

Woods also conceded that funding for the Island's own Olympic programme could be affected by what has been described as the "ugliest chapter in Olympic history''.

A report published by the IOC confirmed long-standing suspicions that some committee members were accepting valuable gifts from bidding cities in return for their votes.

The report into the Salt Lake affair said eight IOC members had pocketed more than $440,000 in cash, gifts and services and one, Jean-Claude Ganga of the Republic of Congo, had received more than $216,000.

As a small nation, Bermuda has no vote in the selection of hosts for the Games and so was not involved in the inquiry.

"There have been rumours about this sort of thing in the Olympic movement for years, but before now they have never been substantiated,'' said Woods.

"For example, there were rumours about why Atlanta got the Games in '96. I think it's common knowledge that Atlanta got the Games because of Coca-Cola.'' He added that there was now a Coca-Cola Olympic museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, home city of the IOC.

Woods is involved in regular meetings with other heads of national Olympic associations and IOC members and knows two of those suspended from the committee and recommended for expulsion, Ecuador's Agustin Arroyo and Chile's Sergio Santander.

"In the group, as you move around, you hear various things. There are certain people staying in one place and others in other places and you wonder why these things happen,'' added Woods.

"But I don't want to give the impression that there is total corruption within the Olympic movement because there is not.'' The controversy over the Salt Lake bid has sparked demands for one more resignation -- that of 78-year-old IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Woods said: "I received a letter from President Samaranch, informing us of the procedures taking place and apologising to the Olympic family for what had happened.

"I was pleased with the way that Dick Pound (IOC vice-president) carried out the inquiry and the way individuals were named.

"But I think President Samaranch could have moved more swiftly. There were allegations being made some time ago.'' But Woods had no view on whether Samaranch should quit, saying he had not seen the full inquiry report and until he had done, it would be unfair of him to comment.

Woods admitted it was possible the BOA, which helps Olympic hopefuls on the Island to realise their sporting dreams, could suffer financially in the wake of the scandal and the inevitable tarnishing of the movement's image.

"We will probably feel the effects in terms of international, global sponsorship, like television money. That is a very fragile market,'' he added.

IOC chief refuses to quit, see Page 22.