The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has selected the hosts for the Winter Olympic Games after next year’s competitions in Milan. For the 2030 edition, the Games will be staying in Europe, taking place in the French Alps, then cross over the pond to return to Salt Lake City, in Utah, USA, for 2034, more than three decades after it hosted the 2002 edition.
Both future hosts were chosen by the IOC Members during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris on 24 July. There were 84 ‘yes’ votes for French Alps 2030 by the IOC Members, 4 ‘no’ votes and 7 abstentions, out of 88 valid votes, while for Salt Lake City-Utah 2034, there were 83 ‘yes’ votes, 6 ‘no’ votes and 6 abstentions, out of 89 valid votes.
1. French Alps 2030
French Alps 2030 aims to unite the north and south French Alps and make them a hub for winter sport, to bring maximum social and economic benefits to their communities.
The delegation of the French Alps 2030 was led by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who expressed the full commitment of France to these Games. It also included the Presidents of the two regions where the Games will be held, Laurent Wauquiez of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Renaud Muselier of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and the Presidents of the French Olympic and Paralympic Committees, David Lappartient and Marie-Amélie Le Fur.
“France pushes the limits of excellence every time it organises a sports event. We believe in the future of our mountains, and we need to support their model for the future: innovative, ambitious, mindful of ecological issues, and accessible by everyone”, Macron said.
The finalisation of the Games Delivery Guarantee remains open for constitutional reasons in France, following the national election. While French Alps 2030 submitted a signed copy of the Olympic Host Contract prior to the IOC Session, the IOC will not counter sign it until the Games Delivery Guarantee is received, at the latest by 1 October 2024, and ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.
The 142nd IOC Session also approved the initial sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030, as proposed by the IOC Executive Board. The seven sports – biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing – will be governed by the relevant Winter International Sports Federations (IFs) listed in the Olympic Charter. There will be a new step to determine the disciplines in each sport approximately five years before the Games.
France is currently hosting the summer Olympics in Paris and has previously hosted the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.
2. Salt Lake City-Utah 2034
Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 has the ambition to extend the benefits of Salt Lake City 2002 to a new generation and make the resources and experience of Utah available for the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. The Games will be hosted in world class, 100 per cent existing or temporary venues, and will assist efforts to drive sustainable change in the state.
The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 delegation was led by the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Erin Mendenhall, the President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Gene Sykes, and the President of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Fraser Bullock.
“The Olympics and Paralympics represent so much more than competition. At its core, the Olympic Movement is about building community and celebrating excellence, things we do really well in Utah”, Governor Cox commented on the news. “More than 80 per cent of Utahns and 100 per cent of our elected leaders supported our Olympic bid. We’re ready to host another Olympic Winter Games, and we can’t wait to welcome the world back to Utah in 2034.”
Serious concerns were expressed about recent developments in the United States around the challenge to the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which could have negative implications for international sports events held in the USA. In their presentations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 and the USOPC confirmed that they are fully committed to compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that their dedication to clean sport and to the coordinated international anti-doping effort led by WADA is absolute.
Salt Lake City already hosted an edition of the Winter Olympics in 2002. Elsewhere across the US, Lake Placid, in New York, also hosted two Winter Games editions, in 1932 and 1980, while Squaw Valley, California, hosted the 1960 edition.
