Annecy's bid for the 2018 Winter Games is ''four or five months behind'' its two rival candidates and needs more financial support to have any chance of success, the head of the French Olympic Committee said Wednesday.
Denis Masseglia told The Associated Press that Annecy officials lost considerable time in revamping their project after the International Olympic Committee criticized the spread-out venues in June. He said the bid has lots of catching up to do against rival contenders Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Munich.
''We are now four or five months behind Munich and Pyeongchang - we all know this,'' Masseglia said in a telephone interview. ''But we are competitors and we are going to do everything we can to win with the help of a very good project. This is not all about money.''
The candidates must submit their detailed bid files by Jan. 11. The IOC will select the host city in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.
To answer the IOC criticism, Annecy officials have changed their plans and are now offering a project centered around Annecy and Chamonix.
''We still have seven months ahead of us before the IOC makes its choice,'' Masseglia said. ''I'm sure there are a lot of IOC members who have not made their decision. We all agree to say that we are facing a difficult situation and that our rivals are in front, notably regarding the financial means, but as long as the finish line is not crossed this is not over.''
Annecy's bid took a blow last weekend when French IOC members Jean-Claude Killy and Guy Drut said the bid team failed to convince IOC members of their revamped plans.
''You have to understand that after the IOC warned us, we had to mobilize all energies for revamping our project, and it was at the expense of the international promotion,'' Masseglia said.
Christian Monteil, the chairman of the Annecy 2018 supervisory board, said last week Annecy needs $4-$5.3 million more to add to their $24 million budget to hire consultants capable of boosting the bid's communication campaign.
Annecy officials are set to meet Sports minister Chantal Jouanno on Friday ahead of a meeting of the bid's supervisory board this weekend.
Jouanno reportedly asked for ''clarity'' and said Tuesday she already obtained an extra $1 million support for the bid.
Masseglia said Annecy officials realized last month in Acapulco, Mexico, during a meeting of Olympic associations that they were trailing in the race.
''Our pitch was not brilliant there, but it was far better in Belgrade,'' said Masseglia, referring to the general assembly of European Olympic Committees held in Serbia.
''The applause from the audience were equivalent to those for Munich and Pyeongchang,'' Masseglia said. ''And that was not the case in Acapulco. Our revamped bid answered all requests the IOC had made. Our project will be very good. We just need to think about how we can optimize the extra money we are asking for.''
Annecy is making its first Olympic bid, although France has staged the Winter Games three times - in Chamonix 1924, Grenoble 1968 and Albertville 1992.
