Olympics in French Alps will go Dutch for speed skating and move ice events to Lyon from Nice

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The next Winter Olympics in France sent speed skating to the Netherlands on Monday and left behind the palm trees of Nice to feature most ice events in Lyon.

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board signed off a broad venue plan for the 2030 French Alps Winter Games that always had an unusually tight hosting schedule.

With no suitable speed skating venue in France, organizers’ options included storied Dutch venue Heerenveen even before the bid awarded the hosting rights on the eve of the 2024 Paris Summer Games. The IOC prioritized a hastily assembled French Alps bid in 2023 when Sweden seemed favored.

Nice on the French Riviera was key to the original bid but talks on creative solutions to staging figure skating and ice hockey faltered after far-right mayor Éric Ciotti was elected in March.

The hosting plan agreed on Monday did not select specific venues in Lyon for curling, figure skating, ice hockey and short track. The IOC also acknowledged further talks were needed with owners of the Thialf speedskating venue in Heerenveen.

Alpine skiing will be in Courchevel and Val d’Isere, the IOC said, two upscale resorts that staged world championships in the past 20 years.