By Tom Degun in London

July 8 - Annecy can still mount a successful bid to host the 2018 Olympics and Paralympics, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board member Sir Craig Reedie claimed here today.



The French city is currently desperately trying to rescue its bid after the IOC warned them that they needed to change their plans and make them more compact if they were to be allowed to continue in the contest against rivals Munich and Pyeongchang.

Annecy officials, led by chief executive Edgar Grospiron, have today held a series of meetings with the directors of the Savoie-Mont-Blanc resorts and ski venues that will hold a dozen World Cup events during the 2010-2011 season to try to come up with a new proposal for the IOC.

Tomorrow, they are due to meet more than 100 French international skiers to try to guage their views about the bid.

Sir Craig, who was attending the IOC's Coordination Commission visit to inspect preparations for London 2012, told insidethegames: "London turned things around completely following early pitfalls.

"If you think back to the Candidate City acceptance procedure for 2012, London was heavily criticised for ‘an obsolete transport structure.'

"That forced us into the most enormous amount of work but we addressed the problem and found a solution so that when we got the bid sorted out, we could show the IOC £5 billion ($7.5 billion) of transport improvements.

"This will be not only a huge help for the Games in 2012 but an enormous help to East London for generations to come."

Sir Craig claimed that Annecy must follow London’s example acting positively upon criticism and revealed he recently spoke to the French city to offer words of encouragement.

He said: "I actually spoke to the Annecy organisers and said, 'Don’t get too depressed - you’ve been given a little bit of a yellow card but now go and get it together.'

"And I know that they will get it together for sure.  

"If they don’t, they are not going to go very far at all.

"So they will."

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