France is on the verge of achieving the double. After the Paris 2024 Summer Games, the country is on track to organize the 2030 Winter Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced, Wednesday, November 29, that it had entered the phase of “targeted dialogue” with the promoters of the French Alps candidacy. Above all, France is the only candidate still in the running; the files of Sweden – already rejected for obtaining the 2026 Olympic Games – and Switzerland were dismissed by the members of the IOC, meeting in an executive commission in Paris until 1er December.
The IOC also decided to only retain for the 2034 edition the American candidacy of Salt Lake City (Utah), already host of the Winter Games in 2002. And to begin a privileged dialogue until 2027 with Switzerland to the organization of the Winter Games 2038, or even 2042.
“France has a long tradition of winter sports and of organizing major winter sports events”argued Karl Stoss, the Austrian president of the future host commission, to justify the IOC’s choice. “Popular support for the Games is incredibly strong in France,” enthused Christophe Dubi, executive director of the Olympic Games at the IOC, putting forward the figure of 68% favorable opinions in France, according to a September survey. “I have rarely seen support like this,” he added, referring to opinion studies on Paris 2024, the results of which however appear to be much more mixed.
The candidacy of the French Alps has not, however, escaped criticism in recent weeks. Like that of being an issue carried by politicians and very little by the world of sport. Laurent Wauquiez and Renaud Muselier, presidents of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (AURA) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) regions, assured that they had the support of more than 400 athletes, including that of the former biathlete Martin Fourcade, now a member of the IOC, who described ” Magic “ the choice made, or even the Paralympic skier Marie Bochet.
The Economic, Social and Environmental Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes had also expressed its reservations on the 2030 project for the French Alps. France Nature Environnement saw it “a scathing disavowal” of the economic world, which “does not believe in a hastily put together project, the economic balance of which is doubtful”affirmed the associative federation in a press release dated November 10.
A “aberration” for some, “fifteen days of celebration for fifteen years of debt” for others… There was no shortage of criticism from environmental activists either. In addition to the use of artificial snow, everyone is wondering about the relevance of organizing Winter Games while climate change is at work – and more than elsewhere – in the mountain ranges. “Clearly, this application is nonsense. We need to think about investing to get out of an economy based on winter sports. The mountains don’t need these Olympics”considers the NO JO collective.
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