Questions remain about the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, including whether some sports will be held in other countries, but after a visit by the same International Olympic Committee delegation that visited Utah last month, France The bidding team seemed confident.
Salt Lake City and the French Alps have already been named by the IOC Executive Board as preferred hosts for Utah for the 2034 Winter Games and France for the 2030 Winter Games. IOC leaders are currently awaiting a report from the IOC Executive Board based on the site visit. The prospective host committee will proceed to a final vote by IOC full members in July before recommending either bid.
“We are confident that it will be I'm confident,” he told reporters. A five-day tour of the Winter Olympics venues proposed by the country.
Unlike Utah, which has been aiming to host the Olympics again for more than a decade, the 2002 Winter Olympics venues still stand and are all within an hour of the athletes' residences, making it a popular choice for future IOC delegates. It was considered a “model'' venue. French University of Utah wasn't even in the race less than a year ago.
This has led to speculation that France's bid has stalled, forcing the IOC to find a new venue for 2030, potentially moving to Salt Lake City four years earlier than expected. Switzerland, which has gained a new privileged position as the current sole bidder for the 2038 Winter Olympics, is also being considered as an alternative candidate.
France's proposed 2030 Winter Games venues span hundreds of miles, from ski resorts in the north to the seaside city of Nice in the south. Alpine and other venues in the north are said to require little construction in preparation for the 2030 Winter Olympics, but hosting ice events along the French Riviera will require the construction of new temporary facilities. There is.
It is not yet decided whether a temporary speed skating oval will be built in Nice or whether the long track competition will be held outside France, perhaps in the Netherlands or Italy, where a temporary track will be built in preparation for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. is set up. Cortina.
2030 and 2034 Winter Olympic Games
Lapartien said he should have an answer about speed skating venues by early June, but since France has decided to host the Winter Olympics despite Paris being the host for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the bidding process will be delayed. appears to be interested in emphasizing its competitiveness.
Although it currently appears that “we are winning because there is no one to compete with us,” Lapartien said the French Alps is up against “six competitors on the starting line,” including 2030 That includes Salt Lake City, which is a priority candidate for both 2019 and 2034, he said. This is to avoid competition for sponsors with the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games, which will be held at a later date.
The other candidate for 2030 was Sapporo, Japan. Vancouver, Canada. Switzerland and Sweden. Sapporo and Vancouver had been dropped from the list due to a lack of public support even before France's late bid, but Lapartien, who will serve on the IOC from 2022, said IOC leaders are considering Sweden's bid for the ninth time. He said there was a possibility of choosing. Switzerland, the “winter sports powerhouse”. Like Salt Lake City.
“Today we have the impression that it was easy,” he said of the decision to choose France as the preferred venue. “We're already close to the finish line and I think everything we've shown this week gives us quite a bit of confidence. But of course there are still mandatory obligations that are needed, such as government guarantees that the costs of hosting the event will be covered. There are some parts.
Still, French Olympic officials warned: We just want to make sure our bid is the best possible, so I can't think of any reason why (the IOC) wouldn't award us the Olympics. Lapartient noted that the IOC's other French members, who are based in Switzerland, will not be able to take part in the final vote scheduled for July 24, which is celebrated as Pioneer's Day in Utah. .
Karl Stoss, Austria's IOC member and chairman of the future host committee, is already talking about what will happen after the French Alps are chosen as the host for the 2030 Winter Olympics, declaring: The Olympic program will include the addition of new sports to appeal to a younger demographic.
Stoss said some ideas were being discussed, and suggested the new events would be in Nordic ski sports and ice sports, rather than alpine skiing.
Renewed interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics
The Future Hosts Committee's visit to the French Alps bid comes as the IOC rekindles its bid to host the Olympics, with IOC President Thomas Bach saying there is a “double-digit” number of participants for the 2036 Summer Olympics. Several countries are said to be candidates.
“We have never been in such a favorable position. I have never seen such high interest in hosting the Olympics,” Bach told Agence France-Presse in a recent interview from his office at IOC headquarters in Switzerland. I told the company.
The list of potential hosts includes Saudi Arabia, the only contender for soccer's 2032 FIFA World Cup. Qatar lost to Australia's Brisbane at the 2032 Summer Games. Indonesia, India. According to GamesBids.com, Germany, Turkey, South Korea and Hungary are also on his radar for 2036.
When asked by AFP about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Bach declined to say whether that would be a contentious choice for them.
“There are still 12 years until these Games, so it is premature to comment on this interest,” the IOC leader said. However, the credit reforms under his watch during the bidding process focused on containing costs by leveraging existing equipment for higher interest rates.
