French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) president David Lappartient is confident that the joint 2030 Winter Olympic bid between Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the French Alps will rise to ‘targeted dialogue’ with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on December 1.
Lappartient told AFP that the IOC’s Executive Board could “very certainly” choose one or more interested regions for a short list during a high level meeting scheduled in Lausanne, Switzerland that day – and those candidates would then be positioned to appear on a final host city election ballot at an IOC all-members Session at a later date. Sweden and Switzerland are also active in discussions with the IOC with interest in a 2030 bid, and United States has proposed Salt Lake City for 2034.
The CNOSF president added that IOC president Thomas Bach was “very impressed” when a French delegation presented plans at Olympic House September 7, boosting the confidence of the French leadership.
“They will choose one or more sites,”
“Our objective is to enter into a targeted dialogue.” Lappartient, who is also an IOC member, said.
“They will choose one or more sites.
“We will see, it is the IOC which will make this decision, it will most certainly take place on December 1st at the Executive Board of the IOC.”
At the CNOSF General Assembly Wednesday Lappartient was elected with 95 percent of member votes, and he told his constituents that the project is well supported.
“The unity that we display for this candidacy, supported by the CNOSF, the CPSF, with the two Regions and the support of the State, was perfectly perceived by the IOC teams: we speak with one voice.
“This morning, the Board of Directors unanimously confirmed its support.
“During this General Assembly, the support of the sports movement and the enthusiasm it showed for this candidacy reinforces our idea that it is decisive to play collectively to claim to win.”
The estimated cost of a 2030 Games has been budgeted at €1.5 billion (USD $1.59 billion), it was announced Wednesday, and Lappartient played up the value of the multi-site concept.
“We had two regions which were candidates, he said.
“We preferred to add rather than subtract. There will inevitably be a little more complexity. But it is also undoubtedly an opportunity to use places which are made for that.”
The IOC had originally planned to award the 2030 Games during a Session to be held in Mumbai India October 15, but late last year the campaign was put on hold to allow the Future Host Commission to explore the impact of climate change on potential Games sites – and to consider possible permanent hosts and a 2030/2034 double allocation. It was also a tactic to allow more regions to enter the race after bids from Sapporo, Vancouver and Barcelona retracted interest due to domestic issues.
Earlier this year IOC officials hinted that they were hoping to enter targeted dialogue with one or more regions by the end of the year with the intention of having them appear on an election ballot during the IOC Session alongside the Paris 2024 Games in July. But should the French project become a candidate, plans will need to change as the Olympic Charter prevents hosts from being elected during a Session on their own territory.
