The headquarters of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been searched by police today (June 20).

The French financial prosecutor’s office (PNF) has said the searches at Paris 2024’s Saint-Denis offices are the result of a probe into potential embezzlement of public funds and favoritism.

The PNF stated that the searches are connected to an investigation launched in 2017 looking at contracts struck by the organizing committee. The body added that the investigations had not previously been made public and that they are based on information provided by an anti-corruption agency.

In a statement, Paris 2024 said: “A search is currently underway at the headquarters of the organizing committee.

“Paris 2024 is cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their inquiries.”

In a separate investigation, the headquarters of the body responsible for Olympic and Paralympic-based infrastructure in France, Solideo, have also been searched.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said in its own statement: "We are aware that there has been a search by police of the Paris 2024 headquarters today. We have been informed by Paris 2024 that they are cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter.”

Next year’s Olympic Games will take place between July 26 and August 11, with the Paralympic Games to follow from August 28 to September 6.

These investigations will have been taking place at the same time as multiple probes into bribery and corruption in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The Japanese city of Sapporo was forced to halt its bidding process for the 2030 Winter Olympics because of the investigation.

Major Japanese companies connected to the Tokyo games, including advertising giant Dentsu, have been investigated, and their offices raided.

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