The Green mayor of Lyon, Gregory Doucet, has expressed willingness to host winter sports in his city during the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, his office said on Wednesday, April 1, amid uncertainty over the current project following the election of Eric Ciotti in Nice. During a meeting with Lyon’s LR president, the Lyon mayor “proposed to support the hosting of ice competitions during the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” according to a statement.
“This project is currently supported by the Sud region,” said an aide to the new metropolitan president, Veronique Sarselli, referring to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, co-host of the Games with Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Nice, the future hub for ice sports, is set to host figure skating, ice hockey, short track, and curling, as well as an Olympic village and a media center. The current plan includes temporarily covering the Allianz Riviera football stadium for hockey and building a temporary ice rink and the Olympic village in the west of Nice.
“Lyon is ideally positioned to participate in these Olympic Games,” said Doucet during the mayoral campaign. Eric Ciotti of UDR-RN had initially opposed building a new Olympic complex in Nice, but has since expressed a strong commitment to hosting ice events. Lyon, on the other hand, will host the Ice Hockey World Cup in 2028 but does not have a role in the 2030 Winter Games organization.
Doucet’s team highlights that Lyon has two ice rinks and other facilities in the agglomeration that could host such events.
[Context: Lyon’s mayor expresses interest in hosting ice sports for the 2030 Winter Olympics despite current uncertainties. Fact Check: Nice plans to host various ice sports and build necessary infrastructure for the Games.]
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