The speed skating competition at the 2030 Winter Olympics will be held outside host country France, it has been confirmed.
This Olympic Games is called “French Alps 2030” and will be mainly distributed in southeastern France, with venues concentrated in Nice, Briançon, Savoie and Haute-Savoie.
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However, the speed skating events will be held at existing venues in Turin, northern Italy, or Heerenveen, the Netherlands.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic organizers do not want to build new venues without a clear legacy in the host region.
Edgar Grospiron, president of the French Alps 2030 organizing committee, said hosting the speed skating competition outside France was a condition the International Olympic Committee agreed to when it became host of the Games.
“The decision has been taken and therefore the organizing committee must continue with what has been decided,” he told a media conference in Milan on Saturday, the day before the 2026 hosts hand over responsibility for the Games.
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“This will allow the Olympics in the French Alps to be what we want it to be.
“This is the first time we have a disciplined Olympics in another European country. It will be new; we will see if other Olympics do this.”
Holding an event far away from the host city or region is not unprecedented at the Olympics. The surfing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held on the Pacific island of Tahiti, about 10,000 miles from France.
But Tahiti in French Polynesia is an overseas territory of France, and the 2030 speed skating competition will be held in another independent country.
“We have very little time and very little money.”
Ski mountaineering is the only sport to make its Olympic debut at Milan-Cortina 2026 [Getty Images]
Grospiron said about 15% of the sports and venues for 2030 have yet to be determined, but details will be confirmed in June this year.
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He said figure skating (the venue has not yet been confirmed) will be held in Nice, as will curling and ice hockey.
Grospiron also said they will decide which new sports, if any, will be added to the program and whether any will be removed.
Nordic combined is the only event without a women’s competition at Milan-Cortina in 2026 and its future is yet to be determined.
Ski mountaineering, due to debut in 2026, has not yet been confirmed as a medal sport in the French Alps.
“New sports are our focus and the issue needs to be raised and then decisions made on our venue plans, which must be validated by the International Olympic Committee by June,” Grollon said.
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“We won’t do this alone; we will work hand-in-hand with federations and venues.
“For the Nordic combination, this is at the helm of the IOC. We will follow the IOC’s advice. We will listen and help us finalize our venue plans.”
There have been reports of infighting within the 2030 organizing committee, with director-general Cyril Linette allegedly leaving due to differences with Grospiron and budget cuts.
Grospiron said they have “limited time and limited funds” but are confident the Olympics will be a success.
“We talk every day about wanting these Olympics to be successful,” he said. “The organizing committee needs calm, continuity and then we will show what our team can do. We are very proud of the work we have been able to do.
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“We know we have very little time and very little money. But we can deliver an Olympics that delivers on our vision and ambitions.”
