2030 Winter Olympic Plans Coming Together

With the highly successful Italian Milan-Cortina Olympics earlier this year, which reportedly attracted 2.6 billion viewers, now behind us, plans are moving ahead for the 2030 Winter games set to return to the French Alps for the first time since Albertville in 1992. 

The IOC’s Executive committee has just confirmed most of the snowsports venues put forward by the French organising committee. Some of the venues from those last French Winter Olympics almost four decades ago are set to be reused. Others, such as the 2030 Olympic downhill course, are very new racetracks.

Alpine skiing events are set take place in a compact cluster of resorts built around long‑established World Cup and former Olympic sites. But the IOC has announced some skating events will take place in The Netherlands, making this the first Winter Olympics spread across two countries.

Val d’Isère, host of men’s technical events during the 1992 Albertville Games, will stage slalom and giant slalom on its signature pistes. The Face de Bellevarde will be used for men’s and women’s giant slalom, while slalom events will run on the Stade Olympique and lower Bellevarde sections. The women’s giant slalom will additionally use the OK (Oreiller‑Killy) piste in La Daille, a regular World Cup venue but not previously used for Olympic racing.

Speed events are assigned to Courchevel, fresh from hosting the 2023 Alpine World Championships on their special created new Eclipse downhill racetrack. The resort will also host Super‑G competitions.

Freestyle skiing and snowboard park and pipe events will be centred in the Briançon cluster, with Serre Chevalier and Montgenèvre designated for slopestyle, halfpipe, big air and other freestyle disciplines. The same area is also earmarked for ski‑alpinism and freeride, subject to final IOC approval of additional events. Neither Serre Chevalier nor Montgenèvre has previously hosted Olympic competitions, but both have long histories in French national and international freeride and freestyle circuits

Nordic skiing will be based in Haute‑Savoie, with La Clusaz and Le Grand‑Bornand sharing the programme. La Clusaz will host cross‑country and para‑Nordic events, while Le Grand‑Bornand—already a regular IBU World Cup venue will stage biathlon and para‑biathlon. Despite their long histories, this will be the first Olympic hosting for the two centres in the Arvis mountains above Lake Annecy.  Le Grand‑Bornand, a regular IBU Biathlon World Cup venue attracting crowds of 50,000 plus each time they host, and also the home of more French Olympians than any other ski resort, will be a first‑time Olympic host, staging all biathlon competitions.

Ski jumping for Nordic combined will take place at Courchevel Le Praz, using the Olympic jumps built for the 1992 Games. La Plagne will see sliding sports return to their purpose‑built 1992 Olympic track which is also now France’s only homologated bobsleigh, skeleton and luge venue. The track will undergo targeted modernisation to meet current safety and broadcast standards.

Ski Mountaineering or Skimo, which proved a hit at the Milan Cortina Games, will be back with an expanded programme in 2030.

The XXVI Olympic Winter Games 2030, branded as the Alpes 2030 Olympic Winter Games, is  scheduled to take place from 1 to 17 February 2030.  Some venues, including for ice events and opening and closing ceremonies, have not yet been confirmed with final approval of the venue masterplan to be given at a later date. The 2030 Winter Paralympics will follow from 1 to 10 March 2030.