The organizing committee for the 2030 Winter Olympics has officially announced the appointment of Vincent Roberti as general director. At the same time, the Cojop has launched exclusive discussions with the Thialf site in the Netherlands to host the speed skating events.
The organizing committee for the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps is continuing to build its venue map. On Monday, May 11, the Cojop announced the opening of “exclusive discussions” with the Thialf ice rink in Heerenveen, Netherlands, to host the speed skating events.
Two candidacies remained in contention: the Dutch Thialf site and the Turin site, used during the 2006 Olympics. The executive board of Alps 2030 approved moving forward with negotiations with the Dutch site.
France had decided from the candidacy stage to not build a speed skating rink. The Cojop is therefore seeking a solution abroad for this discipline. The Thialf venue has 12,500 seats and regularly hosts major international speed skating competitions.
The International Olympic Committee must validate the final venue map at the end of June. Several matters remain open, including the distribution of alpine skiing events, the location of Paralympic sites, and the venue for the men’s ice hockey tournament.
Ice hockey still awaiting decision
The men’s ice hockey matter remains sensitive following the refusal of Nice’s mayor, Éric Ciotti, to organize the matches at the Allianz Riviera stadium. The Cojop is now studying several options, including the LDLC Arena near Lyon and the Accor Arena in Paris.
In this context, Vincent Roberti arrives at a strategic position. The prefect of Tarn-et-Garonne was appointed general director of the Cojop unanimously by the executive board. He is expected to take office in June.
The appointment comes after several months of internal tensions. In February, Cyril Linette’s departure over “irreconcilable disagreements” with president Edgar Grospiron had weakened the organization. Several resignations followed, notably in operations management, communications, and the remuneration committee. The government subsequently launched an inspection mission into the organizing committee’s governance.
In a statement, Vincent Roberti said: “the coming months will be crucial to continue our development, consolidate our ambitious project and concretely enter the operational planning and delivery phase for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
The Cojop must now finalize the venue map before the expected IOC validation at the end of June.
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