There are three official inquiries into the scholarships the Salt Lake bid committee gave to six relatives of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. There also have been allegations regarding medical care and expensive gifts, including shotguns and skis, given to some IOC members.

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch scheduled a special meeting of his executive board for January 22-23 to deal with a report on the IOC investigation. SLOC's ethics committee also is investigating, and the US Olympic Committee is launching its own probe.

US West has asked SLOC president Frank Joklik to ``clarify what has transpired and what actions the Olympic movement is taking to address these issues.''

Mr Mark Roellig, US West's general counsel, said in a December 18letter obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune: ``The very core of Olympic ideals of fair play and the spirit of the games are now under scrutiny and perhaps tainted. This is an extremely serious issue for all of us,'' wrote Roellig.He asked if there were to be any more `surprises'.