France has officially submitted its bid for the French Alps to host the 2030 Winter Olympics to the International Olympic Committee. And Nice is an integral part of the competition; here’s more information.
David Lappartient, President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), presented the details of the French Alps bid on November 7, in a videoconference with the Nice city hall. This bid, supported by both the PACA region and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, was announced last July by Renaud Muselier and Laurent Wauquiez. Its budget has been estimated at 1.5 billion euros.
“The French Alps bid allows, for the first time, to bring together the strengths of our two regions in organizing Games that preserve our exceptional natural resources and the legacy for future generations. We have the opportunity to show that we are capable of holding sober, reasoned, exemplary Winter Games, with our snow, chalets, and landscapes”, stated the President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region.
The map of the sites identified to host the events has been unveiled, and the Nice region occupies a prominent place. The Alpes-Maritimes would be part of the four host territories defined as follows: the Nice Côte d’Azur hub, the Briançonnais hub, the Savoie hub, and the Haute-Savoie hub.
Nice at the Heart of the Games
The Nice territory has been identified as a host location for part of the Olympic village, Paralympic sites, and the highest number of events compared to other geographical areas.
The Alpes-Maritimes are assigned six disciplines: ski cross, snowboard cross, curling (Olympic and Paralympic), figure skating, ice hockey (Olympic and Paralympic), and short track (speed skating), with the site still under review.
The ski and snowboard cross events are expected to take place in the stations of Auron and Isola 2000 while Nice would host the ice events. The demands would require the city to construct a rink, as the Jean Bouin rink is considered “at the end of life” and “too energy-intensive” by Christian Estrosi.
The closing ceremony could also be held in the City of Angels. Nice is slated to be the meeting point for the global press. Plans include accommodating the media in the Convention Center, which is to be built at the Port of Nice for the United Nations Ocean Summit in 2025.
“Sober and Responsible” Games
Since its announcement, the project has received rather favorable support from the public, has attracted a hundred elected officials from the Hautes-Alpes, and has even managed to rally the French Communist Party to its cause, provided these Games are environmentally respectful.
This commitment is attached to the bid: climate change must be addressed in the event’s organization. “The ambition of this bid is to provide everyone with responsible, safe, and sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games to continue the legacy of Paris 2024 and support the transformation of territories and sports events.”
In this ambition for “sober and responsible” Games, organizers plan to prioritize “a decarbonized transportation network with continuity between rail and public transport” to limit carbon emissions. On the infrastructure side, sobriety is also key. The plan is to reuse existing facilities, “limit new constructions” and “limit costs.”
See You on November 21
Next step: presenting the vision and guiding principles of the bid to the Future Host Commission for the Winter Games on November 21. The official list of bids will then be unveiled. The final verdict will be announced in 2024.
To recall, France notably faces competition from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and Switzerland. The last time it organized the Games was in 1992 in Albertville.
