INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

The internal combustion engine (100) comprising: a catalyst (20) arranged in an exhaust passage and able to store oxygen, a variable valve timing mechanism (B, C) able to change a valve overlap amount between an intake valve (6) and an exhaust valve (8), and a fuel supplying means (11) for feeding fuel to the exhaust passage. The fuel supplying means feeds fuel to the exhaust passage only in an initial cycle after scavenging where valve overlap causes air to be expelled from an intake passage through a cylinder to the exhaust passage if such scavenging occurs.