Investigation at the request of the Finance Prosecutor’s Office
Reuters was the first to report that on June 20, police raided the headquarters of the organizing committee of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. According to his source, the search was authorized by the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) in line with the alleged anti-corruption and embezzlement of public funds. The investigation began in 2017.
“The organizers of the Paris 2024 Games are cooperating fully with investigators to facilitate the investigation,” said a source familiar with the matter.
The head office of SOLIDEO, the government agency responsible for providing the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure, was also raided as part of a preliminary investigation launched in 2022, following an audit by the French anti-corruption agency.
Representatives of the Paris 2024 HQ did not provide further details and offered no further comment after the prosecutor’s statement.
The calls coincided with the start of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Council’s two-day meeting, which discussed a range of issues, including progress in preparations for the Games.
“We know that today the police raided the headquarters of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games. The organizing committee informed us that they are fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation of the corruption case,” he said.
Costs have increased by more than 2 billion euros in six years
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be held from 26 July to 11 August, while the Paralympic Games will be held from 28 August to 6 September. Tony Estang, chairman of the games’ organizing committee, promised that the events would be flawless.
In six years, the total budget for preparations for the Games has grown from the initial estimate of 6.6 billion euros in 2017 to 8.8 billion euros.
According to the organizer, the reconstruction and construction of infrastructure facilities alone will cost 4 billion Euros, instead of the initially budgeted 3.2 billion Euros. Most sporting events will be held in existing arenas and halls. The main construction sites were the Olympic Village and the swimming pool in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
The cost of security, which, according to the French SAI, would amount to at least €400 million, was not included in the overall budget.
There is still no information about the admission of Russian athletes.
It’s a little over a year away from the start of the 2024 Olympics, but there are currently no details about Russian participation. At the end of February 2022, the IOC issued a call to international sports federations, advising them not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in any competitions.
At the meeting of the IOC Executive Committee on March 28, 2023, it was recommended to allow the Russians to have a neutral status, if the athletes are not actively engaged in supporting hostilities. At the same time, athletes representing law enforcement and armed forces should not be allowed to compete.
In neutral status, Russian athletes managed to perform at the World Judo Championships in Doha, where Russian Arman Adamyan and Inal Tasoev were the gold medalists of the tournament, and at the World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, where Russian athletes won. a total of six awards – one gold and five bronze.
Clarity on Russian participation and status in the 2024 Olympic Games may come on June 22 – on this day the 140th session of the IOC will be held remotely.