French Alps 2030 Winter Olympic organizers are exploring using a major city other than its Nice hub — possibly Paris or Lyon — for one of their two hockey venues.
"In keeping with a philosophy of resource efficiency and budgetary optimization, the (committee) has decided to broaden the scope of its investigations by exploring the possibility of utilizing existing facilities in other major metropolitan areas — such as Lyon or Paris — that meet the specific criteria, including a minimum gross seating capacity of 10,000," according to a translation of a press release.
Nice, a city on the Southeastern coast of France, has been slated to hold arena events — including hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating and curling — during the 2030 Winter Games with mountain events to the north in the Alps.
Allianz Riviera Stadium, where Nice's Ligue 1 soccer team plays, was planned to be covered and used as a hockey venue, but French media recently reported that an agreement hasn't been reached. The Winter Games take place during the Ligue 1 season.
On Tuesday, organizers said two other possible venues for temporary rinks in Nice — Charles-Ehrmann Stadium and Arboras Rugby Stadium — were assessed, primarily for possibly hosting men's hockey, and determined to have "limitations," "particularly regarding their exceptionally high cost and overall impact."
Nice's Palais des Exposition is planned to be the other hockey venue, subject to international federation approval.
An update on the hockey venue process is expected at a May 11 meeting of the organizing committee's executive board. The plan is for the full Games venue lineup to be approved by the IOC Executive Board at the end of June.
Last week, Paris Entertainment Company, which operates two arenas in the French capital, submitted a bid to be a hockey venue, according to French media.
Paris Entertainment Company operates Paris' Accor Arena, which during the 2024 Paris Summer Games held artistic gymnastics and basketball knockout rounds, and Adidas Arena, which held badminton and rhythmic gymnastics in 2024.
Paris is 425 northwest of Nice. Lyon is 185 miles northwest of Nice.
- Associated Press,
