The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Juan Antonio Samaranch, said yesterday that perhaps he had overstayed his time as head of the organisation.

In an interview with German daily Die Welt, Samaranch, who was elected to the position in 1980, said: "My dream was to become IOC president and I achieved it. Maybe I've stayed too long in the position. When I pull out next year I will have served 21 years as president. That's the second longest mandate after Baron de Coubertin's 29 years."

The Spaniard declined to name a successor, but said that the favoured profile of the ideal candidate would be a former athlete who had participated in the Olympic Games.

Questioned on the possibility of IOC vice-president Anita DeFrantz of the United States seeking the position, Samaranch said: "She could be a candidate. She fits all the criteria: she's on the executive committee, she has won an Olympic medal and is a woman."

Samaranch said that the scandal surrounding the Salt Lake City bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics has resulted in many positive changes within the IOC organisation.

"There was a real revolution and I can assure you that, without this crisis, it would have been impossible to get IOC members to give up many of their bonuses and powers," he added.

Salt Lake City, hosts of the 2002 Winter Games were alleged to have spent $1 million to influence the votes of more than a dozen IOC members in a scandal which led to the expulsion of six members, the resignation of four others and a promise to scale down lavish entertaining.

Earlier this month, former Salt Lake bid committee president Tom Welch and his vice-president David Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and fraud. Their lawyers asked the court for time to prepare their defence.

The 80-year-old Samaranch, who retires next year, said the greatest achievement of his 20-year presidency had been strengthening the unity of the Olympic system and building ties with the individual sports federations.

He said he had tried but failed to address the thorny issue of dropping some sports from the Olympic programme so that others, such as golf, could be included and said that would be a problem for his successor to deal with.