Exclusive: French Alps 2030 chief talks legacy, sustainability in look ahead to next Winter Olympics

🇮🇹 ➡️ 🇫🇷 From Milano Cortina to the French Alps: next stop, 2030. 👉 In an exclusive interview, our Greg Laffradi caught up with Edgar Grospiron, Olympic moguls champ turned President of the 2030 Organizing Committee, and his vision is crystal: 🏔 Alps + France = main selling points – “First it’s the Alps… a magnificent range of mountains. And the second thing is that it’s in France… with the legacy of Paris 2024 and other Games. I think it’s gonna be a great Games.” 📍 Games stretched from Nice to Mont Blanc – Starts in Nice on the Med, ends up in the Mont Blanc massif – Mix of iconic resorts (Val d’Isere, Courchevel etc.), family areas, and very different atmospheres – Goal: like Milano Cortina, each cluster keeps its own vibe while sharing one Olympic spirit 🌱 Sustainability & budget, heavily on reuse – Reusing venues from Albertville 1992 – Existing World Cup/Worlds slopes get the spotlight again – One major new build: a modern ice rink in Nice to replace an outdated arena – No pointless “white elephants”: speed skating will be held abroad ▪ Options under study: Torino 2006 venue (Italy) or a classic oval in the Netherlands 🎿 Athlete‑first clusters Grospiron’s been to 3 Olympics himself: one just to experience it, one for gold (1992), one as a returning medalist. His takeaway: every athlete, every cluster has different needs – and 2030 has to actually listen, not just print slogans. 🧊 IOC inspection: good slopes, bigger stakes – Coordination Commission visit in December saw Val d’Isere, Courchevel etc. in full World Cup prep mode – IOC impressed by the know‑how, now France has 4 years to scale that up 🎌 Handover moment – Closing ceremony will include the French Alps 2030 handover – Next day in Albertville, the Olympic flag returns to France – Narrative: last time it was Albertville, now it’s Albertville again – and on to a new chapter for the 2030 Winter Olympics & Paralympics #EdgarGrospiron #FrenchAlps2030 #Olympics #WinterOlympics #MilanoCortina2026 #Nice #MontBlanc #TalkSports