2. France takes express route to 2030 Winter Games targeted dialogue
In November France was invited into ‘target dialogue’ with its French Alps 2030 Winter Games bid. As part of a double allocation with Salt Lake City 2034, the IOC will now conduct negotiations with both bids ahead of a likely rubberstamping by IOC members next July in Paris.
This could be the most hastily developed successful Olympic bid in history.
We first reported a possible French bid on May 17, only seven months ago, quoting French IOC member Guy Drut explaining “If we succeed [in getting Northern and Southern Alps working together], we have a small chance, a chance, to get them [the Winter Games].
At that time Sweden and Switzerland were already ahead in the newly launched race after a December 2022 reset by the IOC.
It wasn’t until July that the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) opened a dialogue with the IOC’s Future Host Commission (FHC), even as both parties were feverishly preparing to host next summer’s Paris 2024 Games. That triggered some conflicts-of-interest that forced FHC Chair Octavian Morariu, a French national, to step down. It also meant that the IOC might have to reconsider its planned bid election in Paris next year since the Olympic Charter bans such votes within the borders of one of the candidates.
The IOC has since determined that the French bid could be elected in Paris since it is the only candidate in the non-race. However, with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote still required, it just further underlines the fact that bid-related IOC Session votes are mere formalities for Executive Board decisions.
In September a high-level French delegation visited IOC headquarters in Lausanne to meet with IOC President Bach and other officials. With imagery similar to the visit by Brisbane 2032 leadership to Lausanne ahead of Australia’s surprise invitation to targeted dialogue, it’s likely the French bid took the lead in the race at that moment without anyone noticing.
Previous bid campaigns typically involved two years of engagement with the IOC before an election. But now it seems the IOC writes its script in real time, which brings us to the top story of 2023…
[Top Story #1 on page 11]
