Several months after the 2030 Olympic Winter Games bid from the French Alps was elected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organization’s executive board has countersigned the host contract. The milestone allows the IOC to officially engage with the newly formed French organizing committee.
The bid was elected at the IOC Session in Paris last July with 84 member votes in support, four against and seven abstentions. However, the unopposed candidate did not have the required government delivery guarantees in place so the traditional contract signing that usually immediately follows such elections was deferred until conditions could be met. At the time, the French government was in transition and the interim prime minister had no authority to sign the guarantees.
France’s new government led by Prime Minister François Bayrou approved the financial guarantees in February, and he confirmed his support in a letter to the IOC in March. This allowed the two host regions – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – to confirm their financial commitments.
The Executive Board countersigned the contract during a quarterly meeting held in Lausanne, Switzerland Wednesday where French organizers attended remotely to deliver project updates.
Anticipating the approvals, in February the French Alps 2030 organizing committee was formed and will be led by Olympic mogul ski champion Edgar Grospiron who will serve as president.
