Annecy is considered to be the backmarker in the three-horse race behind favourites Pyeongchang and Munich and was rocked last month by the shock resignation of chief executive Edgar Grospiron, who quit in a row over lack of funding, claiming that they had no chance of winning.

But Sarkozy, whose wife Carla Bruni appeared in Annecy's first public video last October, claimed today that bidding for the Games is "beneficial to the entire country" and that "sport is a motor for growth and employment."

The new enthusiasm has been aided by the appointment earlier this month of Charles Beigbeder as President of the bid to replace Grospiron.

Jean-Pierre Vidal, the 2002 Olympic slalom champion, who is Annecy's vice-president, claimed that Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno was also fully behind the bid.

"We're well advanced," said Vidal.

"We're currently working on the format with rehearsals for the talks and the key messages that we want to get across.

"Charles has shown overwhelming enthuasiasm.

"It's very important in the phase that we're in.

"It's a real strength."

Annecy has now made its Candidate File, which it handed into the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last Monday (January 10), available publicly.

"The Annecy 2018 Bid Book is the fruit of long months of hard work by a team of great champions and first rate technical experts," said Beigbeder.

"Thanks to their dedication and the advice of the International Olympic Committee, we have submitted a project designed to win, a project we will be enthusiastically and actively promoting right up until 6th July in Durban."

"The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games we propose to organise are set in the very heart of the mountains, they are Games that will celebrate life, Games that will provide a warm welcome to one and all, combining modernity and tradition against a truly exceptional backdrop, Games that will be integrated into the mountain environment in an approach driven by sustainable development.

"With strong support from the sporting world, the public authorities, the local population and the major social and economic stakeholders both nationally and locally, we have all it takes to host a truly unforgettable event, while establishing a lasting legacy for the entire Olympic family."

To view the Candidate File click here.


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