The mayoral candidate says he is ready “to consult the people of Nice by referendum” while the city will host the ice sports events for the Winter Olympic Games in 2030.
Éric Ciotti, UDR-RN candidate for mayor of Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), declared on Tuesday that he would refuse the current projects for a new ice rink and development of the Allianz Arena planned for ice sports during the 2030 Olympic Games. “In principle, I am in favor of the Olympic Games. It is always an important event, which gives influence to our nation.declared the deputy for Alpes-Maritimes on France 5.
But in Nice, “if I am elected mayor tomorrow, it won’t happen like that”he warned, saying to himself “ready to consult the people of Nice by referendum” if we tried to force his hand. Planned as an Olympic ice sports hub, Nice must also host an Olympic village, the media center and the closing ceremony.
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Winter Olympics 2030: despite significant developments to be made, the Nice ice rinks are not called into question
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A collateral cost of “80 million euros”
If the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop) 2030 has given itself until the end of June to finalize the map of sites, for the moment the project is to cover the Allianz Arena football stadium for the hockey events and to build a new ice rink next to it for figure skating. “I do not want us to use the Allianz Riviera stadium, to block it for several months and for our team (theOGC Nice ) is forced to play elsewhere, at a cost of 80 million euros”declared Éric Ciotti, who also refuses the large ice rink project.
“There are other solutions. I will suggest them”he assured. Eric Ciotti’s team did not immediately respond to these alternative solutions. At the beginning of November, MP Frédéric Maillot (Democratic and Republican Left group), rapporteur for the opinion of the Sports budget appropriations of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, had cast doubt on the Nice ice rink project, “estimated at 138 million euros”while there are functional Olympic ice rinks in Marseille, Lyon or Pralognan-la-Vanoise.
