Organizers indicated today, Tuesday, that "the police searched the headquarters of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the offices of its infrastructure partners as part of investigations into alleged embezzlement of public funds and preferential treatment." The French National Financial Prosecutor's Office stated that "the main offices of Solideo, the public authority responsible for providing the infrastructure for the Olympics as well as the Paralympics, were searched amid a preliminary investigation that dates back to last year after an official search conducted by the French anti-corruption agency." A spokesperson for the organizing committee for the 2024 Olympics stated after the search that "the organizing committee for the 2024 Olympics is fully cooperating with the investigators to facilitate their work and respond to their inquiries as quickly as possible." He added, "The review conducted by the French anti-corruption agency and five audits by the Court of Auditors, along with the continuous monitoring of our governance structures, have not revealed any wrongdoing."
The searches coincided with a meeting of the International Olympic Committee's executive board taking place today for two days to discuss various issues, including the progress of preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics. A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee stated, "We are aware of the police search of the Paris 2024 headquarters. Paris 2024 has informed us that they are fully cooperating with the authorities on this matter."
**High Budget**
The total budget for the Olympics has risen to 8.8 billion euros ($9.62 billion) after the initial estimate was 6.6 billion euros in 2017. The infrastructure alone is expected to cost four billion euros, while the original estimate was 3.2 billion euros. It should be noted that costs are limited because most events will take place in existing facilities. The Olympic Village and the swimming pool in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, represent the primary construction sites. Security costs, which will reach at least 400 million euros, are not included in the overall budget. This is not the first time organizers of the Olympics have been investigated.
