The French Alps were awarded the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games with a clear plan: snow events in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, ice events in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. This initial promise will ultimately not be kept, much to the dismay of the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP), which virtually confirmed Nice's removal from the list of venues on Friday evening. A defeat for all stakeholders.
Sporting interest and the quality of the project are the priorities.
The plan to transform the Allianz Riviera to host ice hockey was thwarted by the election of Eric Ciotti as mayor of Nice in March. Alternatives were studied, but none proved satisfactory. The proposed solutions were not feasible. They weren't up to the standard of the tournament we're going to present. ", Luc Tardif had retorted in the columns of L'EquipeThe president of the International Ice Hockey Federation dreamed of… to play in the stadium (the Allianz Riviera) in front of 18.000 people Eric Ciotti, however, remained inflexible.
The IOC and the international federations having requested " to maintain a unified ice pole "Nice will therefore lose everything: women's hockey, but also curling, short-track speed skating, and figure skating." The COJOP's approach, in this situation it is experiencing, is dictated solely by the sporting interest and the quality of the Olympic and Paralympic project it must deliver. "The statement released Friday evening specifies.
The COJOP is "frustrated by this outcome"
« Consolidating all ice skating events in the Lyon metropolitan area now appears to be the solution best suited to address this situation. "According to the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee (COJOP), which is still awaiting in-depth technical and budgetary analyses to validate its choice, the two host regions based the project on a principle of fairness, which will now have to be abandoned. The South region is not disappearing from the map since the Briançonnais hub is still planned, with events in Montgenèvre and Serre-Chevalier, but the balance now tips heavily in favor of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region."
« This development leads to a significant modification of the initial concept championed by Alpes 2030, which was based on territorial balance and a structuring legacy for ice sports. The Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP) and all stakeholders deeply regret this, and the sports movement expresses its frustration that there will likely no longer be any permanent facilities for ice sports in Nice resulting from the Games. "The statement continues. A necessary evil given the timing. Eric Ciotti hadn't seen it coming, he who was still assuring everyone on Thursday that the city was participating with seriousness and a sense of responsibility in the discussions undertaken regarding the organization of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games ».
« It is a profound sadness, in the face of what is a tremendous waste."The president of the South region, Renaud Muselier, told AFP. I made my region an Olympic region. But yes, I'm devastated. I'm devastated but determined, happy but desperate. I feel like crying, tears of joy and rage. And now, I'm putting all my effort into Briançon. What we're going to do there will be exceptional. The Olympic Village at Fort des Têtes will be exceptional. There will also be additional sports at the Briançon training center. While Kirsty Coventry recently reiterated her goal of reducing the complexity of the Games, particularly regarding competition venues, consolidating everything seemed like an inevitable outcome. Nice missed its chance. And it's uncertain whether it will come around again.
