International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Guy Drut hit out Sunday at press reports claiming he no longer supports Annecy's bid to host the 2018 winter Olympics. Drut conceded, however, the French could struggle in their bid to bring the winter Games back to France for the first time since Albertville in 1992. Sports daily L'Equipe reported Sunday that Drut, a former 110m hurdles Olympic champion and one of two French members of the IOC along with ski great Jean- Claude Killy, had washed his hands of the alpine town's bid to host the 2018 showpiece. Drut refuted the reports, claiming both he and Killy are fully committed. 'It's incorrect, bordering on dishonest,' Drut told selfnews when asked about the reports. Three cities are bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics -- Annecy, Munich and South Korea's Pyeongchang -- with the IOC set to decide the host on July 6 next year in Durban, South Africa. 'What Jean-Claude and I said is that, with our experience and knowledge of how the bidding processes for the Olympics work and are evaluated, right now we are not in a winning position,' he added. Drut highlighted a lack of investment when it came to sending delegates worldwide to support and promote the bid, notably in Belgrade last month when the candidates for 2018 presented their bids. 'There were around six of us in Belgrade, where there were about 20 Germans (for Munich) and even more South Koreans (for Pyeongchang). We weren't suitably equipped.' And Drut believes the negative reports will only boost Annecy's rivals. 'Munich and Pyeongchang will jump at the chance to profit from this.... ' Annecy 2018 bid chairman Edgar Grospiron confirmed Drut's remarks, but admitted the bid needed more financial support if Annecy was to upset Munich and Pyeongchang. 'I've spoken to both of them (Drut and Killy) by phone, they're right behind us,' said Grospiron, the Olympic moguls champion in 1992. Grospiron admitted their task would be made easier with stronger financial support from the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF). France's working budget for the bid is 16 million euros while Munich is believed to boast double that amount. 'Our budget is far inferior to that of our rivals,' said Grospiron, who recently asked the CNOSF for more money but also queried whether the bid was worth pursuing. 'A month ago I asked them for some more money, then two weeks ago I asked them whether it was worth continuing to spend given the fact our chances look slim.' He added: 'This is a pivotal moment. To successfully negotiate the next phase we need real cohesion.' The IOC's evaluation commission is set to visit Annecy on February 9-12 and two months later France's bid team will make a key presentation in London. 