Uncertainty around the events in Nice, scrutinized governance, delays… The organizers of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games, who meet on Monday, have their backs against the wall two months from the scheduled date to definitively validate the map of the Olympic and Paralympic sites. Tension rose a notch on Friday with the “blockage situation” established by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in its negotiations with the new UDR-RN mayor of Nice.
Elected in March, Éric Ciotti opposes the installation of ice hockey events in the Allianz Arena football stadium, planned by the Alps 2030 project, and has made it “an absolute red line”. While the UDR-RN councilor deplores the “improvisation, amateurism and politicization” of the situation, Renaud Muselier, president of the region, denounces a position which “could lead to the questioning” of the Nice pole, calling for a “political decision” to be taken on Monday during a long-planned meeting of stakeholders for the 2030 Olympics.
The ice cream center rather in Lyon?
The Baie des Anges should theoretically host the very profitable ice center (hockey, figure skating, curling, short-track) and garner around 60% of the Games’ ticket revenue, closing ceremony included. The option of a withdrawal of competitions in Lyon, at least partially, could come back to the table, the environmentalist mayor of the city Grégory Doucet having already stepped into the breach at the beginning of April by offering to host ice sports.
The standoff in Nice adds to the pile of files still pending for the stakeholders, already faced with a serious crisis of governance within the Organizing Committee (Cojop) chaired by the former moguls champion Edgar Grospiron. On Monday, representatives of the government, the Olympic and Paralympic committees as well as the host regions Paca and Aura will learn the conclusions of a mission carried out by the General Inspectorate on the management and operation of Cojop, following a series of departures, including that of the general director Cyril Linette at the end of February.
Our articles on the 2030 Olympics
Because time is running out: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must validate during its session on June 22 and 23 the final map of sites for the 2030 events, which to date includes several unknowns: choice of additional sports, distribution of alpine skiing events between Courchevel and Val d’Isère, or even the location in Italy or the Netherlands of the ice ring for long-track speed skating, France not having such equipment.
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