The police are looking into allegations of favoritism and misuse of public money in the attribution of construction contracts, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic games which are set take place from 26 July to 11 August, with the Paralympics running in September. Paris becomes the third straight Summer Games organiser implicated in investigations led by anti-corruption authorities.
The national financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) said on Tuesday, the anti-corruption investigators arrived unannounced at the headquarters of the Olympics organizing committee in Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, as well as at the offices of Solideo, the public body in charge of building projects for the games, after a preliminary investigation was launched in 2017 into contracts made by the Summer Games organizing committee. The other was opened in 2022 following an audit by the French Anti-corruption Agency.
Paris 2024 confirmed in a statement that a search was taking place at the headquarters of the organising committee. “Paris 2024 is cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their inquiries,” it said. It did not give any details and made no further comment after the prosecutors’ statement.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that they they were aware of the investigations going on at the headquarters. IOC spokesperson said. “We have been informed by Paris 2024 that they are cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter.”
Paris becomes the third straight Summer Games organizer implicated in investigations led by anti-corruption authorities for Olympic Games.
Vote-buying allegations linked to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the Tokyo Games in 2021 previously removed several members of the International Olympic Committee from that organization.
Japanese prosecutors this year indicted six companies, including advertising giant Dentsu Group, and seven individuals over suspected rigging of bids worth $320m for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Tuesday’s police raids are the latest episode affecting France’s Olympic movement and sports in general in recent months. In May, France’s National Olympic Committee President Brigitte Henriques resigned in a move that surprised many sports experts. No reason was given for Ms Henriques’ decision, but it came amid reports of intense infighting in the organization. Earlier in the year, the bosses of France’s football and rugby federations stood down following high-profile scandals.
There have been two high-profile resignations as a result: the octogenarian president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, stepped down in February following accusations of sexual and psychological harassment. Hence, several federations; football, rugby, gymnastics and tennis, have become embroiled in scandals.
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Ukraine warns that it will boycott the Paris 2024 Olympic Games if Russia take part
Ukraine may boycott the 2024 Summer Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in the Paris Games, the country’s sport minister has warned. Guttsait, who is also the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, added that talks with national sports federations over a possible boycott had already begun. Vadim Guttsait’s said that as long as there is a “war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions”.
Guttsait’s comments came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would “explore a pathway” for athletes from the two countries to participate as neutrals.
