The final pieces of the sports venue masterplan for the Alpes 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games fell into place this week in Lyon, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission wrapped up its second annual meeting. The Commission today confirmed the allocation of the ice sports and disciplines to venues in Lyon, and of Alpine skiing events to Courchevel and Val d’Isère.
Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, said: “Through this week’s site visits, discussions, presentations and decisions, we have seen the Organising Committee make real progress across every part of the project, supported by its delivery partners, the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee and the wider Olympic and Paralympic Movements. These Games now have a clear vision, a striking visual identity, a compelling sports programme, an optimised venue plan and solid economic foundations. The teams are growing and gaining strength, and they are well placed to move from strategy to detailed operational planning and engagement.”
Vincent Roberti, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Alpes 2030, added: “This second annual visit by the IOC teams provided an opportunity to observe the tangible progress of the Alpes 2030 project and to reinforce the confidence placed in the Organising Committee to deliver spectacular Games that live up to strong sustainability ambitions. The delegation was able to assess the quality of the work carried out by the Committee in recent months and fully appreciate the potential of its five outstanding clusters: Lyon, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, the Briançonnais region and Thialf in the Netherlands, with particular attention given to the ice venues and infrastructure.”
Lyon will host the Games’ ice sports across three confirmed sites, all of them visited by the Coordination Commission members this week before the allocation was finalised. Ice hockey will be played at the arena in Décines-Charpieu that will also stage the 2028 Ice Hockey World Championships, and at the historic Hall Tony Garnier. The Eurexpo convention centre and its exhibition halls will host curling, figure skating and short track speed skating, together with the Main Media Centre.
A housing development project already underway in Oullins-Pierre-Bénite was confirmed as the Olympic Village for the Lyon cluster, chosen among other reasons for its potential to leave a lasting legacy of urban renewal in the metropolitan area.
In the mountains of the Savoie cluster, Courchevel will host the Alpine skiing speed events – the downhill and super-G – while Val d’Isère stages the technical events, the giant slalom and slalom. The women’s and men’s team combined events will take place in Courchevel.
Beyond the venue masterplan, the Organising Committee pointed this week to a series of milestones reached since the Commission last met in December last year. These include the definition of the Games vision, the launch of the Games emblem and confirmation of the sports and event programme, which will make Alpes 2030 the first fully gender-equal Olympic Winter Games. The organisers also outlined a procurement strategy designed to open opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, and the arrival of the first domestic sponsor.
With the venue masterplan settled, Alpes 2030 will roll out a number of initiatives between now and early 2027. The first is Rencontres Alpes 2030, a series of meetings across the host territories to gather the views of local communities and stakeholders and ensure that the Games reflect regional priorities. The sustainability and engagement plans, including the launch of Terre de Jeux 2030, based on Paris 2024’s initiative of the same name, along with the concept for celebration sites, are also due in the months ahead.
With the sports and events programme confirmed, the Organising Committee can now build the competition schedule and set the principles for ticketing. New sponsors are also expected to join the project in the coming period. Drawing on the acclaimed handover ceremonies at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the team will also begin planning its own Opening and Closing Ceremonies, including the choice of venues to host them.
IOC