THE Paris and Madrid 2012 Olympic bid teams have been accused of “gross opportunism” for making large donations to the tsunami disaster relief operation amid a fanfare of publicity. Both cities reacted to the tragedy by sending out press releases highlighting their financial contributions.

Paris, the favourite to win a vote of the IOC in July, declared that it would give €100,000 (about £70,000) each to Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Madrid said that it would donate €100,000 from its own funds to Unicef and would open a special bank account for the 103 companies collaborating on its bid to make their own contributions.

“We have to show our support in this moment, our priority now must be the tragedy,” Feliciano Mayoral, the Madrid 2012 president, said.

Companies backing the London bid have privately condemned the move to channel aid through the bids as “outrageous” self-promotion. They have accused the Paris and Madrid teams of “badging” donations from their corporate sponsors as their own. Paris is contributing through its 2012 corporate club. Its members include Accenture and EDF Energy, which are also backing the London bid.

“This tactic sticks in the throat because of its potential for escalation. The destiny of the Olympics must be decided on the merit of bids rather than a candidate city’s propensity for donating money to a cause,” Kevin Roberts, editorial director of sportbusiness magazine, said. “The whole thing smacks of the worst sort of gross opportunism.”

London’s premier partners, including British Airways and BT, have been among the biggest corporate donors to the relief effort. BA recently announced it would donate £1 million in cash and free flights.

International sports organisations, including the IOC and Fifa, football’s world governing body, are close to contributing $20 million (about £11 million) in aid. London is considering a more official donation but a source said it was keen to avoid an “unseemly contest of generosity”.

Mike Lee, spokesman for the London bid, said: “Employees have given to the disaster fund. We are in dialogue with our business partners. If it is decided it is appropriate, a joint fund will be created.”

The Paris and Madrid bid teams could not be reached for comment.