PARIS: French investigators are investigating payments made before the awarding of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Rio de Janeiro.

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack has been linked to payments made in Brazil three days before the awarding of the Games, with fresh evidence reported to have arisen.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, a company linked to an influential Brazilian businessman paid $1.5 million to a firm set up by Diack’s son, Papa Massata, shortly before the host city was decided at the 2009 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Copenhagen.

Lamine Diack was at the time a voting member of the IOC who was also thought to be key powerbroker who influenced the votes of others.

On September 29, three days before the October 2 vote, Papa Diack founded-Pamodzi Consulting received the payment from Matlock Capital Group, a holding company based in the British Virgin Islands.

“The French justice suspects that this money may have been used to influence the votes during the election in Copenhagen,” the Le Monde article claims.

Rio 2016 have already insisted there was no corruption.

“The elections were clean,” director of communications Mario Andrada told Le Monde.

“Rio won by 66 votes against 32, it was a clear victory.”

Rio de Janeiro beat Madrid in the final round of voting, having already seen Chicago and Tokyo eliminated. Madrid lead the standings after the first round of voting, but Rio comfortably took control thereafter.

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