The French media have claimed that the figure is missing from the €29.1million (£25.9 million/$42.4 million) previously announced by Annecy 2018.

Gwendal Peizerat, the 2002 Olympic ice dancing gold medallist and now managing director of Sports in the Rhone-Alpes, claimed they had decided to abstain from a vote on the budget since there were too many uncertainties on the revenue if Annecy were awarded the Games ahead of rivals Munich and Pyeongchang at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Durban on July 6.

But Beigbeder insisted there is no problem.

"I would like to make it 100 per cent clear that Annecy 2018 has a balanced budget approved by stakeholders," he said.

"We have all of the funds necessary to compete in this race between now and the final decision in Durban.

"We fully believe this is a bid that can win and are proud of our vision of authentic Games in the heart of the mountains for the benefit the entire Olympic Mvement and Winter Sports worldwide."

The row is another unwelcome distraction for Annecy, whose campaign has lurched from one controversy to another since the bid was launched.


It came as the International Animation Film Festival opened in Annecy, which is dedicated entirely to animation and was seen as the ideal opportunity to help promote the French city's bid with today marking only 30 days until the vote. 

There are 233 films showing at the Festival: competing are 42 short films, 10 full-length features, 59 student thesis films, 71 television and commissioned films, including 37 series, two television specials, four educational films, 21 advertising films and seven music videos.

Featured films include Joann Sfar and Antoine Delesvaux's "The Rabbi's Cat" in 3D, which tells the story of a rabbi, his daughter, and their talking cat, and which has already caused a stir at Cannes.

That will be nothing to the stir that Beigbeder will cause if he can somehow rescue Annecy's sinking bid in only a month.

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