Vincent Roberti named interim head of French Alps 2030 committee
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Vincent Roberti arriving for an executive board meeting in Decines-Charpieu, near Lyon in France, on Sept 10.
PHOTO: AFP
- Vincent Roberti was named interim president of the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics committee after Edgar Grospiron's departure amid organisational tensions.
- The committee faced challenges including relocating ice sports from Nice to Lyon due to the new Nice mayor's refusal to host hockey events.
- The IOC aims to keep ice sports unified, moving most events to Lyon, with speed skating held in the Netherlands; a review is scheduled for Sept 16.
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LYON, France – Vincent Roberti was appointed interim president of the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics organising committee on Sept 14, following the departure of Edgar Grospiron, the latest upheaval in the Games’ troubled preparations.
An extraordinary general assembly approved a temporary rule change allowing him to combine the presidency with his existing position as director-general until a permanent successor is appointed.
“I am ensuring continuity of the organising committee until a new president is appointed. The OCOG (French Alps Games organising committee) is fully operational,” Roberti told reporters on Sept 14. “I will carry out this interim role as long as necessary.”
Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, the head of the IOC’s coordination commission for the 2030 Games, said the appointment “guarantees stability and continuity for the project”.
“We have been impressed by the experience, professionalism and calm leadership he has brought to this project since his arrival,” Beckers-Vieujant told reporters.
Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion, left just 18 months after taking charge amid tensions over the organisation and governance of the Games.
His departure followed that of former director-general Cyril Linette, who stepped down earlier in 2026 citing “insurmountable disagreements”.
“The departure of the president of an organising committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is not a trivial event,” Beckers-Vieujant said.
“We note that, as the great Olympic champion he is, president Grospiron has taken responsibility and decided that given the governance tensions that have emerged in recent months, it was time to bring in a new presidency for the organising committee.”
“It is obvious that there have been tensions among the stakeholders, some feeling that they are not being listened to enough, others that they do not have enough freedom,” he added.
The French Alps project has encountered several challenges, including the decision in May to relocate the ice sports events from Nice to Lyon.
Nice had originally been designated as the Games’ southern “ice sports hub”. However, the city’s newly elected mayor, Eric Ciotti, refused to allow the use of the Allianz Riviera stadium, home to Nice football club, as a temporary ice rink for the men’s ice hockey competition.
The International Olympic Committee’s wish to retain a unified ice sports cluster means the ice events will be moved to Lyon, except for speed skating, which will be hosted at the Thialf ice arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands.
The IOC coordination commission is due to hold a news conference in Lyon on Sept 16 following its second review of preparations for the 2030 Games.
“Among other things, the visit of the coordination commission is intended to give final approval to the allocation of sports and disciplines that have been selected for Lyon,” Beckers-Vieujant said. REUTERS