A warning that is a serious warning. In its report on the organization of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP), which must be presented on Tuesday January 10 to the Senate and then to the National Assembly before its publication the next day, the Court of Auditors distributes the good and the bad points between the main actors of the audited Games (Paris 2024 Organizing Committee – Cojop –, interministerial delegation to the JOP, Solidéo – company responsible for the construction of Olympic sites –, etc.). Unlike the others, the Cojop is not spared.
In the 130-page document, that The world obtained, the magistrates are particularly concerned about the balanced budget of the Games Organizing Committee, reassessed on December 12, 2022 by more than 400 million euros, to now stand at 4.38 billion euros. euros.
During this financial review, the Cojop maintained that the additional expenses, in particular due to inflation, would be covered by an increase in ticketing and sponsorship receipts. “Uncertainties still remain on the expected revenues, in particular those of marketing partnerships, and risks have been identified in expenses”argue, for their part, the magistrates of Rue Cambon, who also deplore the anticipated partial consumption of the Cojop contingency reserve (115 million out of 315 million).
The financial jurisdiction criticizes the Cojop for not having satisfied its recommendation, formulated in January 2021 in a previous report, to“establish spending resizing scenarios” based on various assumptions of revenues and additional costs. Or else to have done it “in a limited and summary way”.
A review of the budget in the first half of the year
The Court promises to proceed during the first half of 2023 to “a review of the revised budget”who “should be subject to rigorous monitoring”, is it written in the report. Therefore, underline the magistrates, it is impossible for them to establish all the costs linked to the organization of the Paris 2024 Games.
The magistrates also warn that the total budget of the Games, adding the Cojop budget – 4.38 billion euros – and that of Solideo – 3.8 billion euros, excluding unnecessary work at the Games (a budget reassessed by 140 million euros on December 16) – does not take into account, in particular, tax expenditure linked to the Olympic Games or security and transport expenditure borne by the State and local authorities. As a result, the Court declares itself unable “to establish the overall cost of the Games and its total impact on public finances”.
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