French Alps 2030: Speed skating set for Turin or Heerenveen as Winter Olympics 2030 venues take shape
The Winter Olympics 2030 will stage speed skating outside the host nation France, organisers have confirmed, a move driven by a desire to avoid one‑off venue construction and to preserve legacy in the French Alps.
Winter Olympics 2030: Speed skating to be staged outside France
Speed skating at the Games known as French Alps 2030 will be held in pre‑existing arenas located either in Turin in northern Italy or in Heerenveen in the Netherlands. The decision places one discipline for the Winter Olympics 2030 in a different independent country rather than inside France.
Why organisers chose Turin or Heerenveen
Organisers and the International Olympic Committee emphasised an unwillingness to build new facilities that would not have a definite legacy in the host region. Edgar Grospiron, president of the French Alps 2030 organising committee, said holding the speed skating outside France was a condition agreed with the IOC upon becoming hosts of the Games.
Grospiron set out the decision at a media conference in Milan on Saturday, the day before the 2026 hosts hand over responsibility for the Games. He said the decision has been taken and the organising committee must proceed on that basis so "the Games in the French Alps can be as we want them to be. " He added that "for the first time we will have a Games with a discipline in another European country. This will be new; we will see if other Games do it. "
French Alps 2030 venue map: clusters across south‑east France
French Alps 2030 will be mostly spread across south‑east France with venue clusters in Nice, Briançon, Savoie and Haut‑Savoie. Figure skating currently does not have a confirmed location, but Grospiron said it will take place in Nice, along with curling and ice hockey.
- Venue clusters named: Nice, Briançon, Savoie, Haut‑Savoie
- Figure skating, curling and ice hockey planned for Nice; figure skating location not yet officially confirmed in records
Program questions and events still under review
Grospiron said about 15% of sports and venues for 2030 have not yet been decided, with details due to be confirmed by June this year. He also said the organising committee will decide which new sports, if any, will be added to the programme and whether any events will be removed.
The future of Nordic combined has not yet been confirmed; it is noted as the only event at Milan‑Cortina 2026 that did not have a women's competition. Ski mountaineering, which made its Olympic debut in 2026, is also yet to be confirmed as a medal event for the French Alps Games.
Precedent and context from recent Games
Holding events away from the host city or region is not unprecedented. At Paris 2024, surfing events were held on the Pacific island of Tahiti, roughly 10, 000 miles away from metropolitan France. Tahiti is an island in French Polynesia and an overseas territory of France, whereas the 2030 speed skating will be hosted in a different independent nation.
A full schedule including times of medal events is referenced as part of planning materials for recent Games and future preparations, though venue‑by‑venue confirmations for French Alps 2030 remain in progress.
What happens next for French Alps 2030
With the speed skating decision fixed to use existing facilities in Turin or Heerenveen, organisers can focus on finalising the remaining roughly 15% of sports and venues. Confirmations are expected by June this year, at which point the programme and venue map should become clearer. Until then, the status of Nordic combined and the medal status of ski mountaineering remain unresolved and will be watched closely as planning proceeds.
