The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions are joining forces to submit a joint bid to host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2030.
After an unsuccessful attempt to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, which were ultimately held in PyeongChang, South Korea, Nice is trying its luck again. This time, two regions have decided to unite to propose a joint bid in the name of France. This wish was revealed on July 18th.
Renaud Muselier, president of the PACA Region, and Laurent Wauquiez, president of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, aim to host and organize the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in their two territories. The latter is proud to speak of a “union of the French Alps.”
Philippe Manassero, president of the Departmental Olympic and Sports Committee 06, congratulates the two regions for their shared commitment. He highlights an agreement reached between two regional presidents who are not “from the same political side” but who are committed together “to make sport and France win.”
Renaud Muselier and Christian Estrosi are received at the Élysée by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, for a lunch in the early afternoon of July 19th to discuss the subject. The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, is notably present. The next step: sending a “letter of intent to the IOC in the coming days,” confides the Renaissance president on his Twitter account.
The President of The Republicans also displays a shared ambition focused on eco-responsibility. Objective: “to make the first sustainable Winter Olympics. To be the first to demonstrate that we can carry out major unifying projects while respecting our mountains.”
“A strategy that makes sense with this bid from the ‘French Alps’ for the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games,” shares Philippe Manassero in a statement following the announcement.
Indeed, the winter sports resorts located in the Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and Hautes-Alpes, as well as the Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport, could find themselves at the heart of this project.
Other Competing Cities
The date of the competition is already known. The games will take place from February 8 to February 24, 2030. The only thing left is to determine the location, and the race has already begun. France is not the only contender. Stockholm also wants to make a comeback. The Swedish capital lost out to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, which became the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics, during the 2019 bid award. The American capital of Utah, Salt Lake City, has also announced its candidacy.
As a reminder, France has already hosted the Winter Olympics three times, each time in a commune in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968, and Albertville in 1992. The path is still very long, but if this ambition comes to fruition, it would be a first for the PACA region, including the Alpes-Maritimes.
In the meantime, meet for a French edition of the Olympics in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024. The next Winter Games will take place from February 6 to February 22, 2026, in Italy.
