The 87-year-old Spaniard was taken to the Hospital Clinico with high blood pressure but was "responding well to treatment," hospital spokesman Pedro Tarquis said.

'"He's stable and conscious," Tarquis added. "It's too early to say just yet but he could be released in a matter of hours."

Samaranch, who served as IOC president for 21 years until 2001, had the dizzy spell during at a meeting with regional politicians at Madrid's town hall. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the city's main hospital.

Samaranch was hospitalized for 11 days in Switzerland with "extreme fatigue" in 2001 after returning from the IOC session in Moscow, where Jacques Rogge was elected his successor.

Samaranch was hospitalized shortly afterward in Barcelona for what was described as high blood pressure. He received regular dialysis treatment for kidney trouble.