There can be no further doubt: France is indeed a candidate for the 2030 Winter Games. Six days after a group visit to Lausanne, to meet Thomas Bach and the IOC teams at the Olympic House, the General Assembly of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) was invited on Wednesday September 12 to discuss the joint project of the two regions, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur. David Lappartient, confirmed as president of the CNOSF, presented the bid’s vision and timetable. “Our aim is to enter into targeted dialogue when the IOC selects one or more bids, probably at the Executive Board meeting on December 1, he explained. We’ll have to present our sites by October 15, and then we’ll have to go before the Winter Games Future Host Commission in early November.” The French project, with an initial budget estimated at 1.5 billion euros, is based on existing venues, some of which were used for the 1992 Albertville Winter Games. “Investment will be almost non-existent,” says Fabien Saguez, President of the French Ski Federation (FFS). David Lappartient makes no secret of the fact: France has its chances. Thomas Bach was “very impressed” by the project put forward by the two French regions last week in Lausanne. David Lappartient assures us: “The unity we are showing for this bid, supported by the CNOSF, the CPSF, the two regions and the State, has been perfectly perceived by the IOC teams. We speak with one voice. This morning, the board of directors (of the CNOSF) unanimously confirmed its support. At this general meeting, the support of the sporting movement and the enthusiasm it has shown for this bid reinforces our belief that it is vital to play as a team if we are to win.”
