Nice-Alpes Françaises 2030

[Roger87]

Now funny the mention of Gap cause it was constantly mentioned as the sportiest city of France lol. 

[cfm Jeremie]

I suspect that there is local politics at play: Marseille has been well served by Paris 2024 (sailing, football, arrival of Olympic Flame) so I suspect that PACA would like to put the spotlight on Nice (that has a stronger "winter tradition, being a regular host of figure skating event and having launched a domestic bid for 2018)

[yoshi]

Marseille (& to an extent Lyon too) hasn't exactly covered itself in glory recently either with the football hooliganism incidents last week. Shouldn't have any effect on the Olympics, it's completely different, but maybe they feel Nice will be a better image. I guess it's awkward that the biggest city in that part of the Alps is actually Geneva 

[AustralianFan]

Yes true, with the Summer Games happening in France in the same year as the 2030 Winter Games Host Election,  Sweden or Switzerland might have more of a compelling case to bring the Winter Olympics/Paraympics to either one of those countrues than going back to France.

 

[AustralianFan]

2030 Targeted Dialogue Announcenent - expected v shortly, by Dec-23 latest

It the France 2030 candidature is not elevated to Targeted Dialogue very shortly and either Sweden or Switzerland is elevated. then there will be no obstacle to the 2030 Host Election occurring at the Paris 2024 IOC Session.

The French, however, are feeling confident it seems and have flagged a Host Election being conducted later in 2024 in autumn outside of France in accordance with IOC host election rules.

We’ll soon know either way ……..

 

 

[baron-pierreIV]

If Sweden amps up its public and gov't support, it should be the strongest of the 3 bids -- having come in 2nd last time, has bid 8 other times and NEVER hosted the Winter Games.  France & Switzerland are way TOO SPREAD OUT and they have already hosted a few times in the past.  Unless Sweden shoots itself in the foot, WOG 2030 is Sweden's to lose.  

Also, Marseilles is more a blue-collar town than Nice.  Nice is the more genteel, bourgeoise town more receptive to Figure Skating. (I'm surprised Annecy is not in the current French bid.) 

Edited November 8, 2023 by baron-pierreIV

[StefanMUC]

Annecy is literally mentioned as one of the clusters.

As for spread out: Åre is further away from Stockholm than Annecy is from Nice (the two extremes in the French plan).

[baron-pierreIV]

16 minutes ago, StefanMUC said:

Annecy is literally mentioned as one of the clusters.

As for spread out: Åre is further away from Stockholm than Annecy is from Nice (the two extremes in the French plan).

Correction; noted.  But doesn't the Swedish bid have fewer, tighter clusters than the other 2 bids where one sport/discipline is literally assigned to one town -- whereas Sweden has Stockholm, Are, Falun, Ostersund and Sigulda mainly?  

[Roger87]

Now related to Nice. Beyond the construction of the new Exposition Centre, there was also the project to create the new Palais des Arts et de Culture, which will be located in place of the Nice-Acropolis Exhibition Hall, different to the Exposition Center, while using the Palace Nikaia

Another option is expanding to Antibes and Cannes.

[FYI]

Nice just isn't a "wintery" city. It's more like a Vancouver or Sochi, in terms of it's coastal/balmy climate in the winter. A shame this couldn't have been centered more around Grenoble instead. 

[fusilli]

Forget about PACA infinite web. Just going with Paris/Chamonix(or whatever else). Then, Louis Vuitton will pay the bills.

[iceman530]

1 hour ago, FYI said:

Nice just isn't a "wintery" city. It's more like a Vancouver or Sochi, in terms of it's coastal/balmy climate in the winter. A shame this couldn't have been centered more around Grenoble instead. 

Sochi is the perfect comparison.  Nice would probably have to contend with ice rinks in the 70-80F range too.  I had a feeling it was going to be Nice this whole time and bummed not Lyon.  But hey, if thats what it takes to get over the finish line, Nice is nice.

[stryker]

14 hours ago, DamC said:

According to a report in Le Parisien, the bid plan was changed up to the last minutes before the announcement in discussion with the IOC. The IOC convinced the bid committee to make the bid less spread out (apparently venues in Marseille and Gap were being considered).

At this point, I wonder if indeed the original idea was to include Lyon and Grenoble and the when their respective mayors said no where was a bit of panic and they settled on Nice despite the fact that Nice will have to invest some serious money for at least two ice arenas with dubious legacies. Nice has one ice hockey team and it's a Division 2 team so filling a 10,000 or even a 7000 seater is a tall order and unrealistic. I'm sure we will hear the standard legacy lines - multipurpose arena and community center. This could get expensive very quickly.

[iceman530]

15 minutes ago, stryker said:

At this point, I wonder if indeed the original idea was to include Lyon and Grenoble and the when their respective mayors said no where was a bit of panic and they settled on Nice despite the fact that Nice will have to invest some serious money for at least two ice arenas with dubious legacies. Nice has one ice hockey team and it's a Division 2 team so filling a 10,000 or even a 7000 seater is a tall order and unrealistic. I'm sure we will hear the standard legacy lines - multipurpose arena and community center. This could get expensive very quickly.

That's a very good guess honestly.  I'm sure France thought with the same logic as us, and it implies to me that Lyon and Grenoble turned the opportunity down.  This is where "South Alps" comes in the bid, to squeeze Nice in.  It is obviously an affluent region that has the means to splash cash, much like Italy 2026 in that sense.  

[Roger87]

1 hour ago, stryker said:

At this point, I wonder if indeed the original idea was to include Lyon and Grenoble and the when their respective mayors said no where was a bit of panic and they settled on Nice despite the fact that Nice will have to invest some serious money for at least two ice arenas with dubious legacies. Nice has one ice hockey team and it's a Division 2 team so filling a 10,000 or even a 7000 seater is a tall order and unrealistic. I'm sure we will hear the standard legacy lines - multipurpose arena and community center. This could get expensive very quickly.

If the idea is not building these two arenas (Beyond the new exhibition center and expanding the Nikaia Palace) and keeping Nice, the only option leaving is expanding to Antibes-Cannes metro area. Both cities have these kind of centers and then for perspective they can use the IPC at the Palais of Cannes. 

The good part in that aspect, the distance between Nice and Canned is just 30-35 minutes by car and it won't be in high season per film and cultural festivals.

[Roger87]

3 hours ago, fusilli said:

Forget about PACA infinite web. Just going with Paris/Chamonix(or whatever else). Then, Louis Vuitton will pay the bills.

Anne Hidalgo will probably lose her mandate in 2026 

[stryker]

3 hours ago, iceman530 said:

That's a very good guess honestly.  I'm sure France thought with the same logic as us, and it implies to me that Lyon and Grenoble turned the opportunity down.  This is where "South Alps" comes in the bid, to squeeze Nice in.  It is obviously an affluent region that has the means to splash cash, much like Italy 2026 in that sense.  

Italy is broke. France is on the brink of recession. They don't have cash to waste on white elephants 

[neige]

Can Nice do it with 2 ice rinks only?

• Palais Nikaia
• a new ice rink to be built

Cortina 2026 has 3 ice rinks (2 big ones in Milano and a small one for curling in Cortina).

 

[stryker]

2 hours ago, neige said:

Can Nice do it with 2 ice rinks only?

• Palais Nikaia
• a new ice rink to be built

Cortina 2026 has 3 ice rinks (2 big ones in Milano and a small one for curling in Cortina).

 

No. The additions of short track speed skating and women ice hockey means a host city needs two 10,000 seat arenas and one secondary ice hockey arena. Nice's bigger problem would be what to do with a new ice arena after the Olympics

[neige]

So, what is this first big arena in Nice?

 

[fusilli]

Borrow one from Paris. Or even the temporary one in Milan. 

[neige]

5 hours ago, neige said:

So, what is this first big arena in Nice?

 

It might be in this future exhibition center

https://nicepresse.com/nice-du-retard-pour-le-futur-palais-des-congres-de-la-plaine-du-var-pas-pour-celui-du-port/

[iceman530]

Im talking my way how this probably went down with Lyon and Grenoble probably being great candidates.  My guess is when things were going on behind the scenes, both of them said no privately.  Then turning their attention south, they looked at Marseille and Nice.  Marseille a bit more blue collar overall probably wasnt too keen on it.  Nice with all their fancy moneybags were probably easily swayed to get on board.

[neige]

I don't think so for Grenoble but I agree for Lyon which is the only city near the Alps to have a big arena (proposed for the 2028 Hockey world championships)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDLC_Arena
https://www.lequipe.fr/Hockey-sur-glace/Actualites/La-france-candidate-a-l-organisation-du-mondial-2028-de-hockey-sur-glace/1418047
It can be noticed the difference with Switzerland which has a real Hockey culture and 4 real ice rinks in its bid:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Life_Arena

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaudoise_aréna

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCF-Arena

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bossard_Arena

[yoshi]

And because of where the Alps are, the western part of Switzerland is probably more accessible from the main French snow venues around Annecy than Nice and the coast...if the French and Swiss bids wanted to, or are allowed to, join forces they'd be unstoppable.