Demonstration against the candidacy of the French Alps to host the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in Chambéry, January 6, 2024. JEFF PACHOUD / AFP
Nearly 250 demonstrators gathered on Saturday in Chambéry, Grenoble and the Hautes-Alpes to protest against the possible organization of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps.
In Chambéry, around a hundred people gathered in a fair atmosphere near the headquarters of the Savoie departmental Olympic and sports committee, observed a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP). Activists from associations such as Extinction Rebellion, Attac, the Earth Uprisings and ordinary citizens gathered at the call of the No JO collective.
On the program, ski and bobsleigh races on tarmac with prize giving “medals” to the president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (AURA), Laurent Wauquiez, to his counterpart from Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA), Renaud Muselier, and to the president of the French National Olympic Sports Committee, David Lappartient, for their “authoritarianism”their “dishonesty” and their « corruption ».
The demonstrators denounced, among other things, the supposed cessation in December of the payment of regional subsidies granted to an association which signed an appeal against the holding of the 2030 Olympic Games in France. Contacted by AFP, the region denied this, saying that nothing had been voted on.
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Decision in June
“The green Olympics are a hoot”, “All schuss towards the economic and ecological disaster”, “Alpine skiing or water skiing? “, could we read on the banners. “2030 Olympic Games: Referendum! » demanded another.
In Grenoble, around forty people dressed in colorful alpine sports outfits stationed themselves near a roundabout on the national road leading towards the ski resorts to raise awareness among tourists, explained a representative contacted by AFP who wished remain anonymous.
In the Hautes-Alpes, around a hundred activists, also dressed in colorful outfits, took advantage of the traffic jams at the roundabout of one of the A51 exits, to interact with motorists in a climate ” festive “according to Stéphane Passeron, member of the No JO collective, contacted by AFP.
The candidacy of the French Alps presented by the PACA and AURA regions for the 2030 Winter Games was the only one accepted by the IOC on November 29. The final decision is expected in June.
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Since then, elected officials and associations have pointed out the ecological and economic risks represented by this global event. Some are calling for sustainable Games to develop transport, particularly rail, in the Alps.
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