Jean-Claude Killy and Guy Drut both claimed that Annecy had both fallen behind rivals Munich and Pyeongchang.

Killy said Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion who leads the Annecy bid, is "an amazing guy who is giving everything he has got," but added that other Annecy officials are not aware of the IOC's requirements.

Killy said: "We are heading for a fall.

"Drastic measures are required."

Killy's comments, especially, have the potential to cause fatal damage to Annecy's bid.

The triple Alpine skiing gold medalist from 1968 heads the IOC Coordination Commission overseeing preparations for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and his support is seen as vital if Annecy are to upset the odds.

Drut, who was Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion at Montreal in 1976, told L'Equipe newspaper that Annecy organizers started their campaign too late and have failed to convince IOC members that their revamped plans will create a focused concept around centrally located venues.

He told the newspaper: "We started from too far back,

"This project moves away from the point and despite all the efforts that have been made to concentrate the venues, we failed to change our image in the eyes of IOC members."

The IOC criticised the bid's spread-out venues in June, forcing Annecy officials changed their plans and are now offering a project centered around Annecy and Chamonix.



Drut (pictured) claimed that he continued to back the bid but, along with other officials, was unhappy with the lack of backing from the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF).

Their concerns have led to the offer of a cash injection from the management committee which is overseeing Annecy's bid.

Committee president Christian Monteil said there would be an increase in the budget "from €18 to €20 (£15-£17/$20-$27), and up to €22 millions (£19 million/$29 million)".

Monteil said: "We will soon be having an emergency meeting to speed up the cause and to increase the budget by finding extra donors.

"We're not going to drop everything for one or two million euros."

Drut said: "What Jean-Claude and I said is that, with our experience and knowledge of how the bidding processes for the Olympics work and are evaluated, right now we are not in a winning position.

Drut highlighted a lack of investment when it came to sending delegates worldwide to support and promote the bid, notably in Belgrade last month when the candidates for 2018 presented their bids to the European Olympic Committees.

He said: "There were around six of us in Belgrade, where there were about 20 Germans and even more South Koreans."

Grospiron backed up the calls for more financial support.

He said: "Our budget is far inferior to that of our rivals.

"A month ago I asked them [CNOSF] for some more money, then two weeks ago I asked them whether it was worth continuing to spend given the fact our chances look slim.

"This is a pivotal moment.

"To successfully negotiate the next phase we need real cohesion."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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