Lyon replaces Nice as 2030 Olympic ice hub after political U-turn, Val d'Isère wins alpine battle

Political upheaval in Nice

Since November 2023, Nice had been the centrepiece of the 2030 French Alps Olympic ice programme, set to host ice hockey, figure skating, short-track, curling, the athletes' village, the media centre and the closing ceremony. That vision collapsed on 22 March 2026 when Eric Ciotti unseated Christian Estrosi as mayor. Ciotti had campaigned against the use of the Allianz Riviera football stadium for the men's ice hockey tournament, arguing that Ligue 1 side OGC Nice could not be barred from its ground for the months required to install a rink.

“I wasn't surprised, but disappointed by this decision. Eric Ciotti had shown his colours from the campaign. The difficulty was that we had no plan B and I did not want to split the men's and women's hockey.”

Ice sports find a new home in Lyon

On 19 June, the Cojop executive board made Lyon the new ice hub, absorbing all the events Nice had refused. The move mirrors the multi-cluster approach of Milan-Cortina 2026, a model IOC President Kirsty Coventry had acknowledged brings "additional complexities". Paris had also been floated as a possible fallback, but Lyon's bid prevailed.

Val d'Isère edges out Méribel for alpine skiing

The same board meeting ended a months-long tug-of-war between the Savoie stations of Val d'Isère and Méribel. Val d'Isère was awarded the slalom and giant slalom races, joining Courchevel, which had already secured the downhill and Super-G. Méribel had briefly overtaken Val d'Isère in the planning due to geographical proximity to Courchevel, but a dossier backed by triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy and former regional president Laurent Wauquiez tipped the balance. Méribel's new mayor Bernard Front had lobbied to host women's alpine events, but the board opted for a clean Courchevel–Val d'Isère split.

Speed skating stays outside France

In a separate confirmation, speed skating will be held at the Thialf arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, rather than at any French venue.

What happens next

The entire venue map still requires approval by the International Olympic Committee and by the Cojop general assembly. Organisers have set a 29 June deadline to wrap up those endorsements. Other sites already confirmed include La Salle les Alpes, Montgenèvre, La Plagne, La Clusaz and Grand-Bornand.