Olympics-Paris 2024 expresses surprise at reports of investigation into chief's salary

Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics expressed surprise at media reports on Tuesday that the committee's president Tony Estanguet was allegedly facing a judicial investigation into his pay.

Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics expressed surprise at media reports on Tuesday that the committee's president Tony Estanguet was allegedly facing a judicial investigation into his pay. Asked whether three-time Olympic champion Estanguet or the organising committee had received notification of an investigation into his salary, a Paris 2024 spokesperson said they were unable to answer.

"We wish to remind people that the Organising Committee President’s remuneration is subject to a strict framework," a statement released by Paris 2024 said. "The remuneration of the President of the Organising Committee is very strictly regulated."

The financial prosecutor's office declined immediate comment. In October, authorities raided the Paris 2024 headquarters as part of an investigation into alleged favouritism that also targeted event management firms.

In 2018, Paris 2024 said Estanguet was awarded a 270,000-euro ($290,000) annual salary. "I'm not worried, we've known this figure from the beginning and nothing was hidden," Paris deputy mayor for Sports Pierre Rabadan told Reuters.

"If verifications need to be made, let have them made but I'm bothered by the fact that it casts a doubt on the Games' organisation while we've done everything to be transparent, notably by setting up an ethics committee." ($1 = 0.9316 euros) (Additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Alex Richardson, Richard Lough, Christina Fincher and Timothy Heritage)