- The French Alps will host the 2030 Winter Olympics with dispersed venues.
- Utah's bid focuses on proximity of venues within an hour's reach.
- France won't build a speed skating venue opting for existing facilities elsewhere.
MILAN – At the end of the closing ceremony and Olympic handover, the French Alps will officially be the next Winter Olympic host.
And the vision of those Games differs markedly from what Utah will offer.
"A concept where we go a little bit further to find facilities, slopes and where we can have the best or the most iconic ski resort," said President of the 2030 French Alps Committee Edgar Grospiron.
There will be a difference in the proximity of Olympic venues
In other words, the venues don't have to be close together. Italy debuted that concept by having ice events in Milan and snow events in ski resorts three and four hours away, in Cortina, Livigno and Bormio.
Utah has made proximity central to its bid, promoting that most venues, experiences, and even the airport are within an hour of each other.
While attending Olympic events and meetings in Italy, Grospiron says, ice events will be in Nice, on the French Riviera. Ski venues will reach all the way into iconic resorts near Mont Blanc, upward of five hours away.
Some venues won't exist in France
Another difference, while Utah boasts state-of-the-art venues that are ready and frequently used, France has no plans to build a speed skating venue.
"The decision has been not to build one in France, because we think that we don't need any in France. We don't have enough people who practice this sport," said Grospiron.
Instead they're negotiating with other cities in Italy or the Netherlands to use an existing venue.
Olympics as a destination vacation
The French Alps Committee is also promoting a new concept to spectators planning to attend the Games. They want to combine Olympic experience with destination vacation.
"What we would like to achieve is that to bring our spectators and they stay for a week of holidays and they can also take part at the Olympics as spectators," he said.
That way, travel between Olympic venues is less of an issue because visitors will have their complete experience at their particular destination.
"It's not just the cherry on the cake to have the Olympics. It's a new experience at the Olympics and also a new experience in the French Alps," Grospiron said.
Lessons in common from Italy 2026
Utah and the French Alps share a key lesson from the 2026 games in Milan-Cortina: When athletes succeed, people support the games.
Italy welcomed the world and was one of the top medal winners throughout the games. The country finished with a remarkable 30 medals, as of this writing, in fourth place behind the Netherlands.
"When your athletes are performing, then all the country is behind the Games," he said.
