Reuters reports that documents obtained when finance police raided organisers’ offices last week to establish whether the committee should be registered as a private or public company, are now being analysed.

Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino told Reuters: “If they find that it’s public, it would need to comply with all the rules for public companies.

“That could complicate and delay a lot of its work, because the decision-making process would be longer.”

Chiamparino said the committee’s financial problems had prompted prosecutors to take a closer look at the private company’s legal status.

Earlier this month organiSers said it was about 180million euros ($239million) short in its budget due to a lack of sponsorship deals and lower ticket sales forecasts.

Turin 2006 officials now hope to get 70million euros through sponsorship deals with state-controlled companies such as energy group ENI and utility Enel, and are counting on a 50million euro grant from the government.

The Mayor said “the rest of the money is a more delicate issue”, adding the committee could transfer responsibility for some services like transport to the municipality and ask the government for more help.