Will French sport be able to ride the wave of Paris 2024? A first response could be provided on November 15, with the vote of the World Rugby Council for the award of the 2023 World Cup. France is in competition with Ireland and South Africa.
Another target: the Alpine Ski Worlds in 2023. The French Ski Federation and its president, Michel Vion (photo above), have submitted an application to the International Federation (FIS). He proposes to organize the event in the Savoyard resorts of Courchevel and Méribel. Michel Vion explained it to FrancsJeux the issues, the strengths and the chances of success.
FrancsJeux: Where are you today in the application process for the Alpine Ski World Championships in 2023?
Michel Vion: We are right in it. We declared ourselves on February 17, 2017. We then had to submit a 20-question questionnaire to the FIS, no later than August 31. We produced a very comprehensive document of around 200 pages. We are now awaiting the return of the FIS, for a decision planned for May 2018. The file will be important, particularly on a technical level, but relationships will play a major role. Seventeen people are going to vote, including myself. Our lobbying has already started, everything is in place and very well aligned.
What is the competition like?
I didn't want us to be alone, that wouldn't have been healthy. But I also feared that there would be more than two candidates, because that would have involved two rounds of voting, therefore a political game. We have only one rival, the Saalbach-Hinterglemm station in Austria. A rival always dangerous, because he is Austrian. But the Austrian Federation is aware of this: it organized the Alpine Ski Worlds 4 years ago, the biathlon this year, it will have the Nordic Ski Worlds in 2019. We cannot be in Austria every 4 years. Our best argument of course remains our file. But if it’s good and well presented, it’s our turn.
How would your file be the best?
It won't necessarily be better. I trust the Austrians to present a good case. But we are offering a particular concept, by combining two resorts, Méribel and Courchevel, 9 kilometers apart. We are betting on putting athletes at the heart of the project, as Paris 2024 did, with two distinct tracks, of different difficulties, for men and women. Two separate sites, Méribel for women, Courchevel for men, in the interest of athletes. We will defend this concept, with the conviction that it is in tune with the times.
Who is supporting the French candidacy today?
The French Ski Federation, in particular myself, in my capacity as a member of the FIS Council. We will involve the athletes, but that will happen a little later. Alexis Pinturault (photo below) will be there. He is an Olympic medalist and originally from the village of Courchevel. The others will be announced after the PyeongChang Games.
Can the campaign for the Winter Games in 2026, where Innsbruck withdrew its project, have an impact?
I do not believe. In my opinion, there is no link between the two events. The process is different. We will not play the Paris 2024 card, that would give the campaign a political turn. We don't want it.
Gian Franco Kasper, the president of the FIS, made no secret of having voted for Beijing in the race for the 2022 Winter Games, because of the potential for development of skiing in China. According to this criterion, which of the two applications presents the best assets?
Economically, the difference is not very big. Same thing for television rights. We have nothing to envy of Austria. But we have the best potential for ski development. With the period we are going through, difficult for winter sports, we need to relaunch a generation. Today, less than 10% of young people from large cities close to resorts, such as Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry or Annecy, are skiers. What would be the legacy of the Worlds in France? They would help our country remain a major ski nation. We need the Worlds to relaunch a vast ski plan.
Between France and Austria, where will the difference really be made?
We are two major countries, with in both cases a good technical record. The difference will be in my ability, and that of my Austrian counterpart, to convince voters. But I have confidence. For two years, I have devoted a lot of energy to the campaign. I was present at all the world championships, in all disciplines, to see the French teams, of course, but also to convince. We got a little head start.
