Olympic official quits Paris bid

By Harry Peart
BBC Sports correspondent

Guy Drut said he does not want to harm Paris' bid for the games

France's former sports minister has withdrawn from the Paris bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games because of his involvement in a corruption court case.

Guy Drut is also standing down from his duties within the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

He says he is innocent of the charges but does not want to harm the capital's chances of hosting the 2012 Games.

Paris will find out on 6 July if it has beaten off London, New York, Madrid and Moscow for the right to host the Games.

Mr Drut, who won the high hurdles at the 1976 Olympics, has been a key figure in the Paris bid to stage the 2012 Games.

Allegations

But he says he fears that Paris' rivals could take advantage of the court proceedings and does not want the case against him to harm either the Paris bid or the IOC.

Mr Drut is one of 47 defendants, including politicians, party officials and representatives of some of France's biggest building companies, accused of manipulating public works contracts in the Paris region to obtain illegal party funding.

Last month, Mr Drut was charged with receiving a 3,000-euro (£2,000; $3,600) monthly salary for a job which did not exist within a building company.

The corruption allegations date back to the early 1990s, but he says his conscience is clear.