Beigbeder, a successful businessman, has been drafted in to replace former Olympic moguls champion Edgar Grospiron who resigned last month complaining that it was impossible for Annecy's bid to be successful because it was so under-resourced.

"It's not a question of money," Beigbeder told FRANCE24 in an interview published today.

"With a set budget, we can make things work.

"But it's clear that we have a solid bid with sites as good as those of our competitors.

"That said, we would be happy to have extra funding to be able to do more communication.

"We can't deny that additional funds would be welcome."

Beigbeder plans to lobby France's private sector to try to raise additional funds.

"We will of course ask for more public funds, but also ask the private sector to help us as well," he said.

"I've been told there's a lot of [corporate] interest in getting involved with the bid."

Annecy handed in their Candidate File to the International Olympic Committee headquarters here on Monday (January 10) but Beigbeder was not part of the delegation because he did not officially start his new role until yesterday.



Annecy's bid has been lagging behind Munich and Pyeongchang from the start and Beigbeder admitted that they have a lot of catching up to do to convince the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of their case before they vote at the Session in Durban on July 6.

"It would be good to focus on their expectations and showcase anything that could work in our favour; the economic strengths of the region, media, countries participating in the vote," said Beigbeder.

"We are not starting from scratch, but we have only six months to convince them that we have the best portfolio."

Beigbeder, whose official title is President, is being supported by two former Olympic champions, Jean-Pierre Vidal and Pernilla Wiberg, who are acting as vice-presidents.

He is hoping that Annecy can still turn things round.

"From February 8 to 12 we will receive a delegation from the IOC [for the Evaluation Commission]," said Beigbeder.

"We should show them that our candidacy is excellent, that the people in Annecy support the Olympics and above all show them that the ambience is good."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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