A BBC investigation has found what it says is evidence that a type of cycling event may have bought its way into being an Olympic sport.

The BBC says it has documents suggesting that the organizers of the fast, Japanese track-cycling event called keirin paid $3 million to the UCI, the world body that oversees cycling, in the 1990s. Keirin was admitted into the Olympics in 1996.

The UCI has denied the story. In Japan, Keirin is a sport that attracts tens of millions of dollars each year in gambling revenue.