(Paris) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Wednesday evening that it had only accepted the candidacy of the French Alps for the organization of the Winter Olympics in 2030, and that of Salt Lake City for 2034.
Switzerland, an unsuccessful candidate for these two editions which will be officially awarded next year, is entering into “privileged dialogue” for the 2038 Olympics, Karl Stoss, president of the commission for the future host of the Games, announced to the press. winter within the IOC.
The French file, ahead of both Switzerland and Sweden, therefore takes a major step forward by moving from “permanent dialogue” to “targeted dialogue” with the IOC, which makes it its “expected host” of the competition, while Paris is already hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics in eight months.
The French Alps, which launched their candidacy last summer at the same time as Switzerland, while Sweden had been in the running since February, must now go through several months of detailed evaluation of their file, from the map of sites to to planned legacy, environmental impact, funding and political support.
The project, which claims to be based on 95% of existing sites, extends from Nice to Grand-Bornand, nearly 500 km apart, with an alpine ski center at the Courchevel-Méribel and Val-d’Isère sites. , cross-country skiing in La Clusaz, and an Olympic village based in Nice, as well as skating events.
If the IOC executive considers the French guarantees sufficient, it will recommend its election as host of the 2030 Olympics during a session next year – which should be that of Paris in July, just before the 2024 Olympics, announced Karl Stoss on Wednesday. This could require amending the Olympic Charter since it does not currently allow an edition of the Games to be awarded to the country hosting an IOC session.
Theoretically, if the French file proves disappointing, the Olympic body can also send France back into “permanent dialogue”, that is to say restart the procedure from scratch, a hypothesis which is nevertheless unlikely with less than seven years to go. the competition.
This new procedure, which turns its back on the traditional votes followed around the world to decide between candidates, has only been used once, to award the 2032 Olympic Games to the Australian city of Brisbane in 2021.