Olympic chiefs have accused Stockholm and Cape Town, two of the cities bidding to host the 2004 Olympics, of offering gifts to International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. A senior IOC member said yesterday that both countries had broken Olympic rules. Stockholm had offered free furniture to IOC members while Cape Town had offered their wives free trips to Switzerland where the vote on the Games will be taken on Friday.

"IOC vice-president Marc Hodler has sent a letter to the two cities warning them about IOC rules," said the senior IOC official who did not want to be identified.

In the past there have often been allegations of bribes being made to IOC members during the bidding process.

Athens, Rome and Buenos Aires are also bidding to stage the Games. The venue will be decided in a vote of the IOC's congress in Lausanne on Friday.

Stockholm officials confirmed yesterday that they had had a letter from the IOC about the furniture but denied that they had tried to bribe members.

Meanwhile the IOC has suspended Ecuador from the Olympic movement apparently because it is unhappy with the way it is running its national Olympic committee.

The IOC said that it had talked with the country's IOC member Agustin Arroyo and announced the suspension saying it was "in the best interest of the Ecuadorian sport movement and its athletes in particular."

The decision will not stop athletes from Ecuador taking part in international events at the moment. But it is likely to prevent the country having a say in the running of international sport.