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The economic benefits of the 1992 Olympics are still visible around Albertville

The mark of the 1992 Winter Olympics is visible even before arriving in Albertville (Savoie). The motorway that leads there was built for the occasion and giant Olympic rings, painted on the asphalt, revive the memory of every tourist who heads for the valleys of Tarentaise or Beaufortain, theaters of skiing events.

“The Games have saved Savoy 15 years”, repeats at will Michel Barnier, then deputy, one of the main instigators of the Olympics with the ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. “Extension of the A43, expressway to Moûtiers, arrival of the TGV at Bourg-Saint-Maurice … All this has greatly facilitated access to Savoyard resorts, and therefore the development of tourism around skiing”, abounds Auguste Picollet , deputy mayor of Albertville at the time, now vice-president of the department.

The construction of new sports facilities is the other major contribution of the Games, without falling into the pitfall of the madness of grandeur. “Albertville is exemplary for having thought about the sustainability of the Olympic structures from the start. Technicians from Paris 2024 even come here to be inspired by it, ”says Ludovic Bertagnolo, director of the Albertville Tourism and Games Houses, housed in the huge Olympic Hall where the skating events were held. “This hall illustrates this perfectly because the ice rink is still there with, in addition, an event hall. The structures that were only useful for the Olympic Games were removable. “

No abandoned sites but …

No abandoned sites like in Grenoble (Isère, organizer of the Winter Games in 1968) or Turin (2006), but the maintenance of certain equipment has a significant cost for the communities, like the bobsleigh track of La Plagne, far from being profitable. The State has absorbed 75% of the deficit of 45 million euros on the Games bill, the department 25%.

“If we put everything in the balance, the positive fallout from the Winter Games was much more important than its investments,” said Ludovic Bertagnolo. Over 2 billion people have had their eyes fixed on the region. The opening ceremony of Decouflé made an impression. Half of Albertville’s tourists come for the legacy of the Games, and Savoie is now one of the world’s top ski destinations. “

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