IOC "reassured" by French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics progress despite leadership change

LYON, France, Sept 16 : The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it was confident a leadership change at the helm of the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics will not affect preparations, with progress on track despite tight deadlines.

Vincent Roberti was appointed interim president of the 2030 Games organising committee on Monday following the departure of Edgar Grospiron, the latest upheaval in the Games' troubled preparations.

Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion, left 18 months after taking charge amid tensions over the organisation and governance of the Games.

His departure followed that of former director general Cyril Linette, who stepped down earlier this year citing "insurmountable disagreements".

The head of the IOC's coordination commission, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, said despite Grospiron's departure work was progressing as planned.

"With this nomination work can go on," Beckers-Vieujant told a press conference. "It is a sign of confidence that stakeholders have put in Vincent Roberti. We have seen a project that continues to grow. We know that there is still a lot to be done. But the project is well anchored. The decision taken provides stability and continuity."

"It is possible some people arrived at this meeting with lots of questions and quite a few doubts. The coordination commission can assure you that it leaves encouraged. We are really reassured by the ambition of 2030 project," he added.

The French Alps project has encountered several challenges, including the decision in May to relocate the ice sports events from Nice to Lyon.

Nice had originally been designated as the Games' southern "ice sports hub". However, the city's newly elected mayor, Eric Ciotti, refused to allow the use of the Allianz Riviera stadium, home to Nice football club, as a temporary ice rink for the men's hockey competition. 

The venues in Lyon that will host the curling, ice hockey, figure skating and short track speedskating are the Parc des Expositions in Chassieu, Halle Tony Garnier and the Arena de Lyon, Beckers said. The Games' media centre will also be located in Lyon.

Alpine skiing events will be staged in Courchevel and Val d'Isere while long-track speed skating will be hosted, as already announced, at the Thialf ice arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands.