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Payments for members’ votes were supposed to be a thing of the past at the International Olympic Committee but new allegations will prompt fresh scrutiny
Bungs and secret bank accounts; shadowy figures on the take and make; the bidding process for major sporting events shown to be as transparent as an oil slick. The script might appear stale given the numerous tales of scandals and scoundrels at Fifa and the IAAF, the global guardians of football and athletics respectively, in recent years. But now there is a fresh and intriguing twist.

The grandest sporting organisation of all, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has stood aloof while the staggering tales of corruption surrounding World Cup and World Athletics’ Championships bids seeped out. We are different, the IOC insisted. We have reformed. And with few dissenting voices or evidence to the contrary, the bad old days of the late 90s, when members’ votes were bought for enormous sums during feverish races to host Olympic Games, had become a distant memory.

Tokyo Olympics: €1.3m payment to secret account raises questions over 2020 Games

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