Élection des Alpes françaises 2030 – Election of French Alps 2030 – presentation – EN & FR

Mr President of the Republic, Mr President of the International Olympic Committee, dear President Bach, Mr President of the Future Host Commission and dear members of the Commission, dear fellow Members of the International Olympic Committee, dear Presidents of International Federations, Madam Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are today very proud to be before you to present to you the French candidature for the Olympic Winter Games 2030. I will speak in English and then you will also have a certain number of speeches in French. So we are proud to be here in front of you to present our candidacy, French Alps 2030, to host the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. I want to thank President Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, for joining us today, together with Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic Sports Committee, Monsieur Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes region, Monsieur Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes- Côte d'Azur region, Madame Marie Bochet, eight times Paralympic champion, Mr. Martin Fourcade, five-time Olympic champion and member of the International Olympic Committee, and our Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games. And then all our delegation who are here with us today. France and the Olympic Games, it's a long history, and the history of love and passion. We organised here, or we welcomed three times the summer Games including these ones in Paris 2024 and three times the winter Games: in 1924 the first edition in Chamonix; in 1968 in Grenoble; and in 1992 in Albertville. We have the passion for the Olympic Games. 130 years ago here in France, in Paris, it was the creation of the International Olympic Committee and of course of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin with his vision to unite the world in peace through sport. And we want to continue to carry out this vision. So what is our vision and why are we bidding to host the 2030 Winter Olympic Games? Olympic Games are about sport, about emotions, passion, enthusiasm and also promotion of the Olympic values. We believe that we can bring and promote these values. Thank you to you, the athletes. You are the key players. Our bid is first of all for you, for all the athletes. The world of today is a world where climate change is a reality, and we can't ignore this. And the consequences of climate change are more visible in the mountains, and of course with the Winter Olympic Games. For the future of the Winter Olympic Games, we have no other choice than to address this topic seriously. And I know that the athletes are fully behind this vision. And we are ready to deliver more sustainable games, first of all with sobriety, and we have a good example here in Paris, with a reduction of 60% of the emissions during the Olympic Games. We want to continue to reduce our carbon footprint. We have for this a very solid transport network in all the French Alps and in the south of France. And we have a lot of opportunities with, first of all, existing facilities coming from Albertville 92. And we have also solid expertise with hosting a lot of international events like, for example, the Ski World Championship in 2023 in Méribel Courchevel. This is a very strong heritage, and it will help to reduce cost. We have also the biggest ski area in the world in the French Alps. And we have also the example of Paris 2024. We will not reinvent the wheel. And we have snow, and we have also real snow. We want to increase universality of the Winter Olympic Games with more countries, and for this, maybe, the additional disciplines can be an opportunity. We want to bring more innovation in the Winter Olympic Games, like Paris brought a lot of innovation with a kind of French touch that has been mentioned by President Macron during his speech in the Louis Vuitton Foundation for the opening of our session. Innovation is at all the corners. It's a model for us. We want to reinforce inclusivity and diversity, and our bid is organised through four clusters, two per region. We have very high-level infrastructures and venues, and the master plan will be presented by the region. We have also a strong enthusiasm from the population. You have been the witness of this with the Olympic Torch. Yesterday, we had a wonderful video about the Olympic Torch in France, and you can feel, you can see the passion for the Olympic Games, not only the Summer Games, but also the Winter Olympic Games. And we have a survey that demonstrates that in the region, we have more than 75% of public opinion for the bid for the Winter Olympic Games 2030. The civil society, the economic actors are behind us, and we want to build with you, the IOC Members, the athletes, the International Federations, our bid, and we are here today with unity in between the French National Olympic Committee, the French Paralympic Committee, the two regions and the state. So I'm sure that the President of the Republic will confirm that the state is fully behind this candidature. To conclude, I think you can feel our enthusiasm. We are ready. We sent the first letter, Mr. President, on the 19th of July last year. It was just one year ago. And France and the French Olympic Movement have a solid expertise. We will help to implement the new concept. Thank you to Karl Stoss, the President of the Commission. Thank you to Jacqueline Barrett, to Christophe Dubi, and to all the team from the IOC, and of course also to the General Director, Christophe de Kepper, and all your team. I hope that you can receive well our bid and you can support us today. I will now pass the floor to Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the Paralympic and Sports Committee in France, following by our video. Thank you very much. Dear Members of the IOC, David said it, we are proud and enthusiastic to be by your side this morning to submit the French Alps 2030 candidacy to you, only two days from the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games. Two days, of course, but above all, 2,506 days. 2,506 days that the magic of sports brings together our country. 2,506 days that the values of sport accompany the transformation of our society. In all our schools, in our territories, in our cities, the impact of the Paris 2024 Games is powerful, positive, unifying. And if we take the time to look together at what has been happening in our country in recent days, we see the excitement around the torch relay. We can see the enthusiasm of the cities and villages around their athletes. We can feel the pride of the French Paralympic athletes, united in the same French team as the Olympic athletes. And the pride of the French people in the idea of organising a large edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our bet is already successful. At the end of the Paralympic Games, no more child with an impairment will be able to say that sport is not for him. All of this is the power of sport. It is the power of the Games. So, dear members, by giving us your confidence this morning, you will give us the immense privilege of continuing this momentum. A momentum for sport, a momentum for games, a momentum for our society. We have an incredible capital for this. The best programmes of Paris 2024. A living legacy that's just waiting to be followed. Proven expertise, and a firm determination to learn from our greatest successes and what we could do better. We are aware of the power of the Games, but also of the need to adapt to the environmental developments. The French Alps 2030 candidacy is tune with the times. An ambitious, committed and sustainable project. A project that carries the ambition to accelerate the economic and social transformation of mountain tourism, in summer as well as winter. A project that will strongly contribute to the emergence of this new model of full- time sports that our fellow citizens are waiting for. A project that develops the inclusive valley model to include the 15% of people who have disabilities, ensuring that all of them find in our resorts facilities that welcome them, transport that is modernised, resorts and stations that become accessible, and where soft mobility makes major advances. These changes are already underway. With French Alps 2030, we want to accelerate them. We have what it takes for this, from the north to the south, from the clubs, from practioners of sport, from resorts who are clearly committed to evolving their models. Athletes and a galvanised sports movement. Economic actors ready for innovation. Residents and stakeholders within the regions who are committed. Beyond a particularly solid Paralympic competition concept that Marie Bochet will present to you, our ambition is to educate, to inspire young generations with the values of Olympism and Paralympism. Innovation. Ambition. Inclusion. With words With deeds With scenes that express themselves even better in images. Because these Games will be part of our shared history. Respecting the social and environmental challenges of our time. Think up the Winter Games and the mountains of tomorrow. Be innovative at every place, every fleet. Preserve, reuse, renew. Projecting again and again. Almost 40 years later, many of the Albertville sites from 1992 will still be in use. And the flame will continue to burn beyond 2030. leaving its legacy to the athletes, to the regions, to the participating cities, to everyone. Through the victories, the defeats, the choice, disappointment, but always with fervor, that determination, more than a desire - a purpose. To offer the world sober, inclusive, ethical, and responsible games, in line with the Paris 2024 Parity Games, to experience, to share, to pass on, together. For the 2030 Winter Games, we're ready. Mr President of the Republic, Mr President of the IOC, dear Members of the IOC. A child of the Alpin massif, I know the mountains. I grew up there, skied and found my purpose. The candidacy we are proposing to you today is the fruit of our life experiences as mountain dwellers, as people who know that the mountains are wonderful places, as resilient as they are fragile. Mountains are inescapably humbling. Even if they can be transformed, modulated and tamed, they always have the last word. The Winter Games are unique. I have competed in four of them in the course of my skiiing career. Even more than the Summer Games, they are a challenge. We need to be able to identify the best sites that will guarantee athletes a genuine Olympic and Paralympic experience, building on the achievements of our regions, where the culture of winter sports shines through. That's why we, the Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have grown up in these mountain ranges, who train at these venues, who live in these areas, have rallied together, not just behind this bid, but in this more global and unifying project of the French Alps 2030, so that it is embedded with who we are and our vision. Our project is based on exceptional sites, from the north to the south. We will continue to work to further align this concept with Olympic Agenda 2020+5. At the same time, we athletes will be making the most of this fantastic project to ensure that it is more than just a magnificent competition. We were inspired by the generation of Albertville 92, which itself had followed the footsteps of that of Grenoble 68. The flames of the torch still present on the various competition sites are symbols of excellence. We love our sports, but we are aware of the challenges of the world in which we live and of the necessary transition to operate. Organising the Games in 2030 should help us to speed up the transformation of tomorrow's mountains, enable us to adapt more quickly to global warming, give as many people as possible access to the joys of winter sports, including people with disabilities, and also inspire future generations to take action by lighting a spark in the eyes of children. To create a model mountain where people can live peacefully while welcoming the world in places that have been preserved. We are the homeland of Coubertin and the roots of Olympism. We are the territory of immense champions who grew up in our mountains, but also of extraordinary competitions that have left their mark on winter sports. Today, we can guarantee you that France will be at the meeting point of the emotions, of the experience of athletes and of the challenges of our society in 2030. We are the DNA of the French Alps 2030 candidacy, and with dozens of other athletes, we want to be the DNA of the wonderful project that will be ours in the next six years. At home, winter sports have a history, a culture, a present and a future. I have the immense honor of giving the floor to Martin, whom you all know, Martin Fourcade. Thank you. Thank you, Marie. Dear Members of the IOC, dear colleagues, dear friends, I am also a child of the mountains. I was born there. I learned my sport there. On these snowy tracks, I lived my best moments. And I still live them intensely every day, fascinated by their beauty, but also aware of its dangers. And to tell you the truth, after three days in Paris, I'm already starting to miss it a lot. I had the joy of participating in the Olympic Games three times and to bring back a few medals, but above all, I shared them with Simon, my big brother, without whom I would never have done biathlon, maybe I would never have discovered this sport. In 2006, at the age of 16, I bought my ticket for the Games and I travelled to Italy to support my big brother at the Turin Olympic Games. It was a turning point for me. I also wanted to experience the unique emotions that only Games can evoke. And you can imagine, I haven't regretted starting this journey for a day. It is with this same dream of joy and sharing that we want to offer athletes from all over the world. To offer them the beauty of our mountains, perhaps the most beautiful in the world, second only to my native Pyrenees. Offer them France's expertise in sports organisation. And the Paris Games haven't even started yet, so you'll have to take my word for it. And finally, to offer them the enthusiasm of our supporters. On this last point, at least, no one can contradict me. Dear colleagues, we are ambitious, but we are not naive. In a world in the middle of a transformation, we know that the challenges we face are immense. But, like any good mountaineer, we know that we should never underestimate an ascent. In the face of this challenge, and on the strength of the work carried out by the 2030 OCOG and the experience gained, we will continue, hand in hand with the IOC, the NOCs, the IFs and all the stakeholders, our commitment to innovative and responsible Games. Aware of the opportunity we have been given to continue to keep the Olympic and Paralympic flame burning brightly in France, but also aware of the responsibility we bear. To conclude, on a personal note, sharing this moment with our friends from Salt Lake City, whose Games represented my first memories of biathlon in television, makes this moment again more special today. Together, we will build on the momentum of Paris 24, MiCo 26, and Los Angeles 28 to build Games that reflect the image of the winter sports athletes, warm despite the cold in which we move. Thank you, dear friends. And I have the honour to pass the floor to Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes region. Thank you, Martin. Dear President Bach, We are proud to welcome the IOC Session here in Paris. I would also like to thank President Karl Stoss and his team. Dear IOC delegates, you cannot imagine how moved we are to be here today, one year after the official launch of this extraordinary venture for the French Alps candidacy. Now I will switch to English to address four topics. The first one, the combined force of two regions working together. Bringing the Winter Games home again in the Alps has always been a dream for me. And Renaud, President of the South had the same dream. So we decided to unite our two regions and all the French Alps, bringing together all those: Marie, Martin, who love the mountains, all those who love the winter sports, in a single French bid. We would like to thank the IOC team with Mr De Kepper for understanding this innovative approach of not choosing a specific city but a whole territory, calling it the French Alps. Our ambition is to write with you a new page in history of Winter Olympic Games, renewing the image of the Olympics and shaping the mountains of tomorrow, sporting mountains and mountains respecting the environment. Second topic, presentation of the master plan. In order to design these new Olympic Games, we have rationalised the sites with four, as you see, major hubs balanced between north and south. In Nice, the ice events. Around Briançon, the freestyle events. And for the Northern Alps, two hubs. The hub of Savoie, magical ski area, with resorts like Courchevel, Méribel, La Plagne. The other hub is in Haute- Savoie, which has positioned itself as a land of excellence, of cross- country skiing and biathlon. Those venues are already used to hosting competitions and are ready with volunteers and infrastructure, as Marie mentioned. This means that costs are reduced and we can show sober Winter Olympic Games. Third topic, past and future legacy. Albertville left a huge legacy in its wake, including infrastructures that we are going to reuse. Slopes, Bobsleigh site, ski jump, Olympic Hall in Albertville; no white elephants. What better image for the Games? What we built 30 years ago, we have taken care of for 30 years with infrastructures that are still there. And thanks to the new Olympic Games, we are going to project them into the future for the next generation for the next 30 years. Just one example, at La Plagne, the bobsleigh site, we are going to use the water from the torrents to generate energy and renew the bobsleigh run to be entirely energy self-sufficient, the first one in the world. Fourth topic, the positive impact of the Olympic Games on the region. Our proximity to Paris 2024 is an extraordinary asset in mobilising our private partners. We are working with all our companies to help create business and jobs, particularly to highlight all the innovations in terms of sustainable development around mountains and winter sports. I would also like to talk to you finally about maybe the most important legacy, the one in the heart. The strength, you know, of Albertville Games is to have made the generation dream and to have given birth to champions. During the IOC's visit, dear Karl, we heard the incredible testimony of our Olympian, Marie Martinod. She is in the room, who told us how she found her vocation on the slopes of Albertville when she was only 7 years old. That's the Olympic spirit in the history of the French Alps. We want to give our country a huge boost in terms of popular support for winter sports and mountains. This is just how unique the Games are. If you have confidence in us, we will unite the Alps, we will design the mountains of tomorrow, sporty and respectful of the environment, and share the emotion that will give birth to a whole new generation of sportswomen and men, all based on the history of the Olympic Games in our region. This is the most beautiful project we can undertake, celebrating the legacy of the flame. And now, I will introduce my dear colleague and friend, Renaud Muselier, President of the Region of the South. Thank you very much. Welcome. Welcome all of you to Paris. We are very happy to welcome you. So I was in Lima in 2017, and it was very impressive to accompany the French delegation, to listen to the speeches, and to live your choice, this success for France, what a joy! Well, now it's my turn, it's our turn, together. The French Alps, two regions, one country, the representatives of the sporting world and the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, whom I thank infinitely for his presence and for all the support he has given us all this candidacy. Together, as I said, united for France, for sport, and for the Olympic Games. So, following this long path of selection, monitored, even piloted by the two Christophes, Jacqueline, and the teams of Lausanne, this extremely difficult path brings us here today. I must acknowledge, Mr. President Bach, that we have crossed the French Alps with your teams, under the authority of President Stoss. And I can say that their professionalism is at the level of their sympathy, that is to say, immense. Their expertise is really very impressive. But be careful, our team is just as efficient and professional. After the first Winter Games in Chamonix a century ago, this candidacy is a response to a central question for the decades to come. Can we and should we still organise Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games? No surprise, our candidacy is a clear answer, yes, a big yes, unconditionally, and we will show why and how. That is the meaning of this candidature. We offer you exemplary winter games. Yes, we will not be able to ski tomorrow as we skied yesterday. Yes, climate change is a reality, with an impact on the mountains. But do not displease the grumpies, the famous grumpies. In practice, I want to tell them that practising the mountains and winter sports, in a different way does not mean no longer practising them. Our candidature is one of optimism and realism. We are going to present to the Members the greenest winter Games in history, the most exemplary on the environmental level. Games of snow and ice. We offer you the winter games, the least expensive. Games of human size, for which we will put the magic of games at the height of man. As a doctor, I know that what matters is the human. Games that will honor the mountain, that we love and respect. those of the mountaineers and their power. We never climb as high as the mountains. Days, games, turned towards the joy of living. The celebration of the Olympics of the moment and the lasting legacy of the after. Games that change people's lives, especially those that remain once the tests are over. These are in particular advances for the unclamping of our valleys with a rethought railway offer; the creation of a training centre for grand competition in the heart of the South Alps; the future of social, seasonal and university housing. We are transforming Briançon, a historic military stronghold, into an Olympic village. And so, sober games, without extravagant expenses, without the need for excessive investment in infrastructure. Yes, these are the cheapest games possible. We know why. To show the world that our mountains are alive and will remain so. By the way, in our French Alps, history has been made over the centuries, from Hannibal's elephants to the Games of Albertville, passing through Route Napoléon. To offer a concrete vision of the future, under the eyes of the whole world, with a cry from the heart, the 21st century will have its winter games. Different, reinvented, respectful of what we are in our mountains. We are ready, we want it, in all our resorts, in all our territories, beyond our four clusters. We are all mobilised, starting with our magnificent youth. Yes, President Bach, you outlined an axis on Monday evening, during your opening speech of the 142nd session of the CIO. You could count on the strength of our two regions, which represents a huge economic power; academic, technical, industrial and investigative, to help you in your reflection on artificial intelligence. And we will integrate your AI agenda into our project, as well as your approach to Esports. Yes, we love the Games, because we share the values of Olympism, like our American friends from Salt Lake City and Utah, whom I want to acknowledge. Yes, we love this gathering and this hope with our athletes, in this peaceful competition, carrying their discipline and their flag in their scarves. We are happy and proud to see this candidacy represented with humility. And we would be honoured if you trust us. For us, sport transcends all differences. The Olympic and Paralympic Games, dream and now reality, will structure our valleys and our mountains, the links within our beautiful region. This draw will continue. So, before I give the floor to the President of the Republic, one last little confession. We are going to organise the closing ceremony. It will be exceptional. It will be in Nice, and I want to acknowledge its mayor. So, you will love Paris 2024. You will adore the French Alps 2030. Thank you. Mr President, dear Thomas Bach; Mr President of the Future Host Commission, ladies and gentlemen, Members of the IOC, first of all I would like to wish you welcome to Paris for these Games of 2024. Welcome to France and to all these territories that will be hosting events and which are the consequences of the trust you placed in us seven years ago in Lausanne in a configuration that was different but in a spirit that I find here again. And let me welcome as well our dear colleagues and friends from Salt Lake City here in Paris. Everything was said by the team, and it is with great pride that I stand today, Mr President, dear Thomas, surrounded by our team, to express the unwavering support of the French nation to the French Alps candidacy for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games. The previous speakers have provided a detailed presentation of the technical aspects of our candidacy, and they've made a clear demonstration of our expertise in organising international events, of the quality of our infrastructure, and of our commitment to the sustainability of the Games. These should be solid assets for the success of the 2030 Games, from an athlete's perspective, but also for the spectators around the world. Allow me to return to the spirit that drives this bid, along with the passion and enthusiasm that guide every one of us. France has a long tradition of hosting the Games, with, at each edition, the same desire to push the limits of excellence, to offer the world Games that will make history. And I think, first, it will be a unique opportunity to leverage, on 2024, agenda and experience. Organisation, sustainability, inclusiveness, gender balance, heritage, everything we delivered for 2024 will be, I would say, taken not as granted, but we will leverage on this mobilisation and this know-how in order to deliver 2030. Exactly in the spirit of innovation, ambition, and inclusiveness as mentioned by the whole team. And you will have a seamless organisation to deliver, concretely, 2030 Games. New Cojo [OCOG]; Solideo, to deliver the infrastructures in due time, on budget and on time, and a mix, as described by the team, of existing and new infrastructures. The second point I wanted to emphasise is the fact that we are all very aware of the fact that this is a turning point for the French mountain industry and, by the way, for Winter Games and for the mountains everywhere in the world. A lot of people today are sceptical about this model. We do believe in the future of Winter Games. We do believe in the future of our mountains. During COVID time, we did invest in our mountains. A lot of money, both in the Alps and in the Pyrenees, Martin. And it was a necessity precisely to be alongside with the whole industry and everybody making the current model. But we are all aware of the fact that we have now to invent a new model, a sustainable one for people living in the mountains and for winter Games. And this is a unique opportunity for us, precisely, to accelerate such an agenda and to help you to innovate and to show the rest of the world that winter Games is not just history, and we are very proud to be part of it, but part of our future. And thanks to what we will develop, the infrastructures mentioned, the innovations, I do believe that we can clearly be part of this new agenda. Naturally, you seek confidence in order to protect the interest of your institution. And this is my last point and one of the reasons of my presence today. That's why I want to be totally transparent with you and address the subject of financing and budgetary guarantee expected from the French state with regard to the future organisation committee. In recent weeks, we've made significant progress on financial issues, achieving a strong agreement between the state and the regions and I want to thank the two presidents and to thank the sport movement. This agreement perfectly reflects the collective work that led to this candidacy. In front of you today I want to confirm my full commitment and the full commitment of the French nation and assure you that it I will ask the next Prime Minister to include not only this guarantee but also an Olympic law in the priorities of the new government. Seven years ago, I took the same commitment, and we delivered, and we passed two Olympic laws in order precisely to accelerate and deliver the full agenda. And as you can see today, we are all united. We are all committed to make this bid a huge success. And I speak in front of you with, I do believe, the credibility of a whole team who committed seven years ago and who delivered. And we will do the same. You have experienced people here in charge of sports movements, but as well French regions and today the nation. And we will deliver exactly what we commit to do today. Here again we'll be there. Here again, we will deliver, on time, on budget, at the level of social and ecological ambition we have set, for the future of our mountains in the face of global warming, and for the future of sport practice in France and worldwide, and for the future of Olympism. You can have complete confidence in us. We'll be there because we love the Olympic and Paralympic Games, because we're proud of what has been done for Paris 2024, and because we're happy and proud to welcome you here today and as the competition gets underway. And today we are proud to be supporting this candidature from the French Alps for the Games of 2030. Thank you. Thank you very much.