04/23/26 10:47:00
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04/23 10:29 CDT Paris offers to host 2030 Winter Games ice hockey after Nice
mayor opposes Olympic plan
Paris offers to host 2030 Winter Games ice hockey after Nice mayor opposes
Olympic plan
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- Olympic Games events could return to Paris as soon as 2030.
The Paris Entertainment Company, which operates the Adidas Arena and Accor
Arena in the French capital, told The Associated Press on Thursday it has
submitted a bid to host ice hockey during the 2030 Winter Games to be held in
France.
Both venues were used during the 2024 Paris Summer Games and could serve as
alternative solutions because the new Nice mayor, Eric Ciotti, opposes ice
hockey events at Nice soccer stadium, the Allianz Arena, which would be
converted into a temporary hockey rink.
Like the Milan Cortina Olympics, the French Alps has split snow sports in
storied mountain resorts and skating in a snow-free city, the French Riviera
resort Nice. The final venues will be confirmed in June when the IOC decides
the list of sports and events.
Ciotti, a former conservative allied with the National Rally of Marine Le Pen,
was elected in March.
Asked about the ice hockey deadlock in Nice, sports minister Marina Ferrari
said on Thursday she was working with 2030 Games organizers to determine
whether alternative solutions were available in Nice or elsewhere.
"Our responsibility now is to begin preparing alternative scenarios in case we
encounter difficulties," she said. "At this point we are exploring all options,
I could not be clearer."
The 2030 French Alps Olympics has been hit by turmoil in recent months.
Tensions have multiplied against a backdrop of resignations, culminating in
open conflict between Edgar Grospiron, the former Olympic champion freestyle
skier who leads the organizing committee, and chief executive officer Cyril
Linette.
Their feud and other problems have weakened the project, and Linette's
departure was acknowledged in February. That followed the resignations of chief
operating officer Anne Murac, communications director Arthur Richer, and the
departure of Bertrand Mheut, who was in charge of the remuneration committee.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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