Football stadium becomes an ice hockey arena for the Olympics
The IOC awarded the 2030 Winter Olympics to France in July 2024. When choosing the venues, the organizers decided to convert a soccer stadium into an ice hockey arena.
As there were no suitable candidates to host the 2030 Winter Olympics for a long time, it took until July 2024 before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was able to announce the award for the 2030 and 2034 editions. At the 142nd General Assembly of the IOC, the organization announced the hosts: in 2030, the Winter Olympics will be held in the French Alps, in 2034 in Salt Lake City.
This means that France will once again be hosting the Olympic Games just six years after the recently concluded 2024 Summer Games in Paris. In order to use existing sports venues as much as possible, the sports are to be held in four areas, from Lake Geneva and the northern Alps to the Mediterranean in the south. According to the organizers, 93% of the proposed venues already exist or are being built temporarily.
Cross-country skiing and biathlon are to take place in the Haute Savoie region - located on Lake Geneva - while alpine skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, bobsleigh and sledging are planned for the Savoie region to the south. Freestyle skiing and snowboarding will take place in Briançon - close to the Italian border - while ice hockey, figure skating, short track and curling competitions will be held in Nice. The international broadcasting center, the main press center and the closing ceremony are also planned for the city on the Mediterranean.
Originally, two arenas were planned for the women's ice hockey competitions, but this plan was scrapped. In the end, the organizers decided to convert the Allianz Riviera - the home stadium of soccer club OGC Nice - into a two-part ice hockey arena. A dividing wall in the middle of the stadium will create two ice rinks that can be played on in parallel and offer space for around 30,000 spectators each.
Meanwhile, the curling competitions are to take place in the Palais Nikaia, which has a capacity of around 6,250. A new arena with a capacity of 5,000 spectators is to be built for figure skating and short track. (stadiaworld, 25.10.2024)
