2023-12-08 11:02:27
While Val d’Isère was happy to host the alpine skiing events for the 2030 Olympics, the IOC, in its ecological quest, ultimately decided not to select the Savoyard resort. Enough to raise the stakes of its mayor Patrick Martin who does not digest this announcement.
“The 2030 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games must be exemplary. Val d’Isère is a natural showcase of a virtuous mountain. I am determined to work with all stakeholders to contribute to the organization of sustainable and emblematic Games for France” declared Patrick Martin, the mayor of Val d’Isère.
With him, a good number of French champions, including Ingrid Jacquemod, director of the Val d’Isère Sports Club, are saddened by this sudden decision by the International Olympic Committee. To justify his choice, the latter evokes the need to optimize costs and transport with environmental considerations behind it. Ecological sobriety when you hold us. Perhaps we rejoiced too quickly.
60% of the municipality in protected natural space
With more than 190 Alpine Ski World Cup events organized, Val d’Isère has proven that it is technically and humanly ready to host JOP eventsindicates a press release. The territory has all the necessary infrastructure : Media Center at the Congress Center and Aquasports Center of 5,000 m² with training equipment and modular room to receive the teams. The competition slopes of La Face de Bellevarde and La Oreiller Killy are equipped with fiber optics, lights for night work and the latest generation of snow guns. The teams of the Sports Club, the municipality, and the Régie des piste are called upon each year to organize international alpine ski competitions, an expertise and know-how recognized throughout the world.
With 60% of the commune in protected natural space, Val d’Isère has been engaged in a sustainable transition approach for several years. This ongoing approach was confirmed by obtaining the Flocon Vert label in November 2022. Soft mobility is one of the areas of municipal work. Among the measures to date: the village’s free shuttles run on HVO vegetable fuel, two are electric and by 2025 the entire ValBus fleet will be electric. The domain is also damaged using HVO, which reduces CO2 emissions by 90% and fine particles emitted by 65%.
So what more needs to be done, the station’s elected officials seem to be asking themselves. The games without Val d’Isère, “it’s like Paris without the Eiffel Tower or a rugby match in London outside Twickenham” comments the mayor on RMC Sports.
The municipality does not lose hope and still hopes to change things. Patrick Martin took up the subject. He has written to Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, Minister of Sports, Elisabeth Borne, Prime Minister, and even Emmanuel Macronin order to make his arguments heard.
A ski racing land
1948 : The first French Olympic ski champion, Henri Oreiller made the name of Val d’Isère shine throughout the world with 3 medals.
1955 : Louis Erny, organizer of alpine ski races and Charles Diebold, sports manager of the Val d’Isère resort, organize the first race of December, to conclude the early winter courses, which they will name the Critérium de the First Snow.
1968 : The Critérium de la Première Neige obtains the FIS World Cup label; there have been no less than 190 World Cup events contested in Val d’Isère since then. Val d’Isère has always been there to recover events, and is the only site to have organized three weeks of FIS World Cup competition in a row.
1992 : Albertville Olympic Games on La Face de Bellevarde.
2009 : Alpine Skiing World Championships in Val d’Isère.
In 1964, the Goitschel sisters distinguished themselves at the Innsbruck Olympic Games in Giant and Slalom. 4 years later at the Grenoble Olympics, Marielle the technician won gold in slalom and Jean Claude Killy forever imprinted the name of Val d’Isère in people’s minds by winning three gold medals. The Val d’Isère Sports Club will train other big names in the sport such as Matthieu Bozzetto in alpine snowboarding, Olympic bronze medalist in 2010. Today the alpine skiers Victor Muffat Jeandet, bronze medalist in 2018, and Clément Christmas, Gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games make Val d’Isère shine.
Val d’Isère opened its slopes last weekend between snowfall on Saturday and clear sunshine on Sunday. More than 9,500 skiers took advantage of the area, and 1,900 testers in the Ski Force Winter Tour village set up for these 2023 First Traces. The Tignes – Val d’Isère ski area is open until May 5 2024.
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