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THE headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee were raided by police today in a probe into suspected corruption.
A year ahead of the much anticipated sporting games, French authorities searched the offices in an alleged investigation into the awarding of public contracts.
According to the national financial prosecutors office, French investigators raided the HQ, known as Cojo, in a probe into suspected corruption 14 months before the games start.
Paris 2024 organisers said they are “cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their enquiries”.
The offices of Solideo, the body in charge of the Olympic construction sites was also raided, a source close to the investigation said.
Le Parisien reported that the authorities are looking for information into the awarding of public contracts following a report by the French anti-corruption agency (AFA).
The searches of their premises were conducted by anti-corruption and financial crime investigators and the financial brigade of the Parisian police, another source close to the probe said.
This is the first such raid on the organising committee headquarters, however Paris becomes the third straight Summer Games organiser implicated in investigations led by anti-corruption authorities.
An official reported that the searches are linked to two investigations based on information provided by the anti-corruption agency.
One of the probes was opened in 2017 into suspected embezzlement of public funds and favouritism, the prosecutor’s office said.
The other was opened in 2022 following an audit by the AFA that suspected “conflicts of interest” and favouritism involving several contracts reached by the organising committee and Solideo.
AFA warned that these issues could undermine the “whiter than whiter” image of the Games that the organising committee wished for.
The raids are the latest drama to affect French sports in the past year.
In May, Brigitte Henriques surprised many by resigning as the president of France’s National Olympic Committee – and a successor is yet to be named.
Several federations — football, rugby, gymnastics and tennis — have also become embroiled in scandals.
The 33rd Summer Olympic Games is scheduled to get underway on July 26, 2024 which is the official date for the opening ceremony.
And the huge event in France will conclude on August 11, 2024, while the Paralympic Games will take place from Aug 28 until Sept 6.
The previous competition in Tokyo saw Team GB walk away with a whopping 64 medals in total – ranking 4th overall in the leaderboard.
