In its quest for the Winter Games and in the interest of optimizing expenses, France could choose an association with a European country in order to guarantee the holding of speed skating events on an already existing site.
Visual of the Speed Ring and Curling Hall project as part of the French bid for the 2018 Olympic Games (Credits – Annecy 2018 / Archives)
While the forecast mapping of the sites proposed in the French Alps for the organization of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games should be presented during the month of October 2023, the leaders of the French candidacy are continuing their reflection.
Among the outstanding issues, the case of the location of speed skating events could also lead to the consideration of an option relocated outside French borders.
In fact, and as authorized by the IOC, the candidacy could soon initiate discussions with a European country which, if necessary, would be called upon to receive the said tests. This option would therefore make it possible to compensate for the current absence of an ice rink capable of meeting technical requirements. Furthermore, it would be an adequate solution to avoid carrying out the long-term – and potentially costly – development of an installation likely to be little used after the Games.
The idea is reminiscent of the discussions carried out in recent years by several applications in Europe.
In the race for the 2026 Olympics, Sweden, for example, approached Latvia and the Sigulda track to consider holding bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events. A new perspective in the light of the candidacy now oriented towards 2030.
Spain had also raised the possibility of a foreign alliance when the Aragon-Catalonia team was still in the running. There was then talk of cooperation – as a nod to History – with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sarajevo for the use of part of the infrastructure of the 1984 Games, including the Trebević track for bobsleigh , luge and skeleton, and springboards for ski jumping and Nordic combined.
More recently, and faced with the difficulties encountered by the Italian organizers of the 2026 Olympic Games, the idea of mobilizing the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track of Innsbruck (Austria) was raised, even if the initial framework of Cortina d’Ampezzo was finally selected.
Visual of the Speed Ring and Curling Hall project as part of the French bid for the 2018 Olympic Games (Credits – Annecy 2018 / Archives)
For France, two countries seem to hold the rope regarding a possible agreement, namely the The Netherlandswhere the tradition of speed skating is particularly strong, and theGermanywhich would undoubtedly symbolize the historic partnership of the flagship couple of European construction.
A sign that times have changed and that applications can and must today adapt to the principle of sustainability, the previous French project was built on a completely different ambition.
With a view to the 2018 Olympic Games, the bidders had proposed the development of a permanent ice rink within the cluster from Annecy.
Designed within the same scope as the temporary Curling Hall, the Speed Ring was to be able to accommodate up to 8,000 spectators, with a significant investment of 127.6 million euros (2010 value), i.e. 117 million to be paid by the public authorities and 10.6 million euros by the Games Organizing Committee.
