This is yet another thorn in the side, and one the organizing committee for the French Alps 2030 Games could have done without. Eric Ciotti's election as mayor of Nice has disrupted the established plans for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organizing committee had a clear roadmap with the outgoing mayor, Christian Estrosi, but his defeat has changed everything. And new questions are being raised regarding the Olympic venues in Nice.
"Extremely committed to the Games being held in Nice"
During the election campaign, the MP had expressed his opposition to the project to build a new ice rink, favoring the temporary conversion of the Palais des Expositions. He dismissed the idea of temporarily converting the Allianz Riviera to host ice hockey, deeming it too costly and detrimental to the OGC Nice club. His opinion also differs regarding the site of the future Olympic Village. On Friday, during his first city council meeting, the new mayor's speech was eagerly awaited. I am, of course, extremely committed to holding the Olympic Games in Nice, and we will now work towards that goal. We will put all the issues that could be debated on the table. », He announced.
He specified that technical meetings would be organized quickly. with the aim of holding the Games as planned in Nice, even if there may be different arrangements or venues for certain events Time is running out: while the OCOG had already fallen behind schedule, the change of mayor will require new assessments and new cost estimates, knowing that the budget balance is a very sensitive point and that the map of sites must be validated by the end of June.
Every day, we will follow only one guiding principle: to make Nice a happier city focused on the people of Nice!
— Eric Ciotti (@eciotti) March 28, 2026
Green spaces, great care for our schools, clean streets, attention to the well-being of our animals, the return of culture, everything… pic.twitter.com/9njhF7DHne
One month to see things more clearly
It's no secret: the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Renaud Muselier, had hoped that Christian Estrosi would be re-elected. However, he will have to contend with Eric Ciotti. A meeting is scheduled for mid-week. to see what solutions can be found given the speed of the decisions " Muselier stated, setting the schedule: As part of the preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we need to validate all the venues across France before launching the calls for tenders and awarding contracts. A solution must be found between April 15th and 30th. "That leaves barely a month to reach an agreement."
The plan proposed by Eric Ciotti was evaluated by qualified experts. They concluded that it fell under " at the level of a junior world championship and that it did not correspond not up to the level of requirements demanded for the Olympic Games " reports Renaud Muselier to France InfoOne option keeps coming up in this uncertain context: Lyon, with the LDLC Arena, which will host the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2028, and its exhibition center, which could be adapted to accommodate ice rinks, as in Milan in February. This solution will be assessed according to Le ParisienAnd the clock keeps ticking.
