In addition to the obligations that each of these towns will need to comply with (sustainable development, transport, hospitality, and tourism…), the file will also include support from companies, of course, but also from prominent athletes who, charmed by the bid, will become the next ambassadors of French sports worldwide. Annecy has secured the support of Edgard Grospiron and Vincent Vittoz, Grenoble relies on Florence Masnada and Jackson Richardson, Carole Merle and Luc Alphand have chosen Pelvoux, and the city of Nice had to be on its toes, as ultimately, a flood of athletes joined the Nice 2018 club to play this Riviera Olympic part.
Alain Bernard (Honorary President), Christel Pascal, Stéphane Diagana, Philippe Candeloro, Marielle Goitschel, Surya Bonaly, Valérie Nicolas, Alain Prost, Laurent Tillie, Nicolas Charbonnier, Didier Deschamps support local figures such as Lionel Letizi, Nathalie Leroy, Jean-François Tordo, Christophe Pinna, Jean-Pierre Dick… The list goes on with the Riberys, Flessel, Papin, and others who have lent their support to the Nice bid.
“Support naturally came. A large part of the sporting support was obtained through word of mouth, and we receive new support requests from the sports world every day. It’s encouraging to see how the sports world is embracing the Nice 2018 project,” assures Julien Schramm, in charge of press and sports relations within the Nice 2018 association, alongside Valérie Nicolas and Christel Pascal.
It’s a team that looks impressive on paper, and it is now hoped that the file will be equally appealing to the voters of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee who will give their final response on March 18, 2009.
