The bid, already trailing rivals Munich and Pyeongchang after its concept was criticised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), suffered another major setback on Sunday (December 12) when Edgar Grospiron resigned as chief executive in a row over the budget. 

It followed criticism earlier in the month from France's IOC members Guy Drut and Jean-Claude Killy. 

Drut had warned Annecy had started "from too far back" while triple Olympic Alpine skiing champion Killy had warned Annecy were "heading for a fall" when the host city is announced at the IOC Session in Durban on July 6, 2011. 

But Drut has claimed that he and Killy are fully committed to the bid and that they believe that Annecy can still upset the odds and win.

"The commitment from the two IOC members is total and absolute, in support of Annecy," said Drut.

"We have a presence and atradition to maintain, a message to communicate.

We believe that it should be normal for France, through a city, to bid to host various European and World championships, andOlympic Games too."

"We are not the favourites but nothing is done yet."

Drut's comments came at a press conference attended by France's Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno (pictured) but which Killy, now one of the IOC's most influential members, was again conspicuous by his absence.



Even Grospiron's decision to walk away does not spell the end of Annecy's bid, Drut claimed.

"The head of the 2012 London bid was, at the beginning, a woman whose name I don't quite remember but her name was not Sebastian Coe," he said.

Coe, the double Olympic 1500 metres champion, replaced American businesswoman Barbara Cassani as chairman of London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in May 2004 when it was lagging behind the favourites.

But under Coe the London bid was revitalised and a year later ended up beating Paris.

Denis Masseglia, the President of the French National Olympic Committee, spoke of the determination of all those involved, beginning with the athletes who, he claimed, are Annecy 2018's foremost ambassadors.

"Everything is still to play for," he said.

"We're here totell you about a bid that we hold dear.

"It's an excellent bid, which brings us all together.

"We always wanted it to be led by athletes, and we intend to give it an even stronger identitythrough our champions, who are ambitious and fully committed."

Annecy is searching for a new chief executive but faces a race against time to appoint a new person before they are due to submit their bid book to the IOC in Lausanne on January 11.

But Jean-Luc Rigaut, Annecy's Mayor, claimed that they remained optimistic.

"The city of Annecy has always believed in the bid," he said.

"Our athletes and our citizens are all involved.

"This bid is built on values shared by the city,the valley of Chamonix and the region of Savoie."

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