There's no time for a break for the organizing committee of the French Alps 2030. On Wednesday, President Edgar Grospiron and Director General Vincent Roberti were questioned by the National Assembly's Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education. The aim: to take stock of the concrete progress of what is " a national project serving the region, French sport and the legacy we wish to leave behind "Grospiron emphasizes. The Albertville Olympic champion recalled the steps taken in recent months: unveiling of the emblems, validation of the site map, signing of a first tier 1 partner… He also, and above all, answered the commission's questions, to reassure them, after a complicated winter.
Lyon in the center of attention
Two priorities emerged: adhering to the schedule and controlling costs. Edgar Grospiron expressed his confidence on this point, given the new site map. The requirements of the International Federations (IF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) led us to consolidate the entire ice skating operations in the Lyon metropolitan area. Does this generate additional costs or delays? No, it generates substantial savings. Where we would have had to build a new ice rink, we are no longer building one; we will use existing facilities and install temporary ice rinks inside them. »
« In Lyon, there's been a significant optimization of our operations and a reduction in costs. All of this contributes to an enhanced Olympic experience, since Lyon is now closer to the other mountain venues. This concept is more coherent and simpler to organize. The overall concept of the Games is strengthened as a result. The two most distant locations are now a maximum of three hours apart by car, whereas it was eleven hours to Nice. There are more obvious cost optimizations to be made. " he assures us. Vincent Roberti clarifies: Being in Lyon rather than Nice saves approximately 100 million euros compared to the initial budget. »
According to Edgar Grospiron, there is no cause for concern regarding the future Olympic village: We have real estate developments in Lyon that will be completed by 2030 and that can allow us to host an Olympic Village in good conditions. We know that we have options for Olympic and Paralympic villages in Lyon and the metropolitan area that can allow us to meet the deadlines and stay within budget. »
A new partner will be announced in the fall.
The Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP) was also asked to explain the relocation of speed skating abroad, specifically to the Netherlands. A choice made from the outset of the application process.Grospiron reminds usWhen we moved the ice skating hub to Lyon, we asked ourselves whether we should reintegrate speed skating into the Lyon metropolitan area. Very quickly, we realized that we didn't have the infrastructure; we were back to the problem we had during the application phase: France doesn't have sufficiently large facilities. "While the Thialf already exists and can accommodate 10.000 people."
An agreement has been reached for the French team to train there before and after the 2030 Olympics, and this is not insignificant for Edgar Grospiron. We're establishing a partnership that will undoubtedly allow us to win a medal in this sport, in which we've never had one. Will France ever have such equipment? I can't say, but we're moving towards having a stronger French team, capable of winning medals at the Olympic Games, and perhaps that will allow us to acquire equipment, why not? »
An even more crucial issue is the search for partners. We are confident we will reach our target of €591 million. We have around fifty partnerships to secure. Discussions are progressing well and are going smoothly. We have already covered 24% of our target amount. The next partner will be announced in the fall, and others will follow throughout the year, across all six categories. "Six categories are currently open, and the COJOP is in discussions with the IOC to unlock others." By opening up to new categories, we offer ourselves additional potential to seek partners. And Vincent Roberti summed it up: We have a financial target and we are sticking to it. »
