French Alps 2030: Next Winter Olympics will hold speed skating in Italy or Netherlands

The speed skating events at the 2030 Winter Olympics will take place outside host nation France, it has been confirmed.

The Games, known as French Alps 2030, will be mostly spread across south-east France with venue clusters in Nice, Briancon, Savoie and Haut-Savoie.

However, the speed skating will take place in pre-existing venues in either Turin in northern Italy, or Heerenveen in the Netherlands.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Games organisers do not want to build new venues that would not have a definite legacy in the host region.

Edgar Grospiron, president of the French Alps 2030 organising committee, said holding the speed skating outside France was a condition agreed with the IOC upon becoming hosts of the Games.

«This decision has already been taken, so the organising committee has to go on what has already been decided,» he told a media conference in Milan on Saturday, the day before the 2026 hosts hand over responsibility for the Games.

«This is so that the Games in the French Alps can be as we want them to be.

«For the first time we will have a Games with a discipline in another European country. This will be new; we will see if other Games do it.»

Holding events away from the host city or region is not unprecedented in the Olympics. At Paris 2024, the surfing events were held on the Pacific island of Tahiti – approximately 10,000 miles away from France.

But Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia, is an overseas territory of France, while the 2030 speed skating will be held in a different independent nation.

Grospiron said about 15% of sports and venues for 2030 have not yet been decided, but that details will be confirmed by June this year.

He said figure skating – which does not currently have a confirmed location – will take place in Nice, as will curling and ice hockey.

Grospiron also said they will decide on which new sports, if any, will be added to the programme and if any events will be removed.

The future of Nordic combined – the only event at Milan-Cortina 2026 not to have a women’s competition – has not yet been confirmed.

Ski mountaineering, which made its debut in 2026, is yet to be confirmed as a medal event in the French Alps.

«New sports are at the eart of our concerns, this will need to be broached to then decide what our venue plan is like and has to be validated by June by the IOC,» Grospiron said.

«We will not do this alone; we will do this hand in hand with federations and venues.

«For Nordic combined, this is at the helm of the IOC. We will follow the recommendations of the IOC. We are there to listen, to help us finalise our venue plan.»

There have been reports of infighting among the 2030 organising committee, with director general Cyril Linette allegedly departing amid differences with Grospiron, as well as budget cuts.

Grospiron said they have «little time, little money» but were confident the Games would be delivered successfully.

«We talk every day about wanting to make these Games a success,» he said. «The organising committee needs serenity, continuity, then we will show what our teams can do. We are very proud of the work we have been able to do.

«We know we have very little time, little money. But we can deliver a Games that will honour our vision and ambition.»