The IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch ordered IOC member Marc Hodler to silence yesterday after Hodler's allegations of widespread corruption inside the IOC stunned the world of sport.

Meanwhile, IOC vice-president Dick Pound, one of the leading candidates to replace Samaranch who retires in 2002, said that the IOC were aware that agents were offering cash for their services.

The Canadian, who is leading the inquiry into Hodler's allegations, added that there was also concern within the IOC about the behaviour of some of the agents and board members.

Hodler, a senior Swiss member of the IOC executive board, said that millions of dollars in bribes had been paid to IOC members to secure votes.

The 80-year-old Hodler alleged malpractice in the campaigns conducted by Atlanta for the 1996 Games, Nagano for 1998, Sydney for 2000 and Salt Lake City, awarded the 2002 winter Games. All the venues have issued strong denials of wrongdoing.

Hodler said in Lausanne that agents had demanded up to $1 million to deliver votes in the selection of host cities, and that he believed five to seven per cent of IOC members had solicited bribes. There are currently 115 IOC members. Hodler said a group of four agents, including an African IOC member, had been involved in promising votes for payment, although he declined to identify them.

"I am not going to release names and I have to be careful not to use a shotgun. We have to try and find out what substance there is behind these allegations," Pound said.

"We had a preliminary meeting with Marc Hodler to give him the opportunity to substantiate his allegations.

"We know there are agents offering their services for cash and we want to find out their roles in relation to the candidate cities."

Yesterday, Hodler said: "I have been issued with a presidential order to say nothing and I have been muzzled," Hodler said.

"I have said too much. I was told not to appear at press conferences."