2030 Winter Olympics: Venues confirmed for Lyon and French Alps - with long-track speed skating set to take place in Netherlands

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Lyon is set to become the urban heart of the 2030 Winter Olympics after the IOC confirmed its final ice-sports venues on Wednesday, alongside Alpine skiing locations in the French mountains. The decisions complete the Games' sports venue masterplan, with the event now moving into its delivery phase.

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After a series of changes to the original plans, the organisers now have a defined map for the competitions, with Lyon - a city that was not originally intended to carry the weight of the Games' ice programme - now playing one of the most prominent roles in Alpes 2030.

The Olympic Winter Games will run from February 1-17, 2030, followed by the Paralympic Winter Games from March 1-10.

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Lyon's ice venues are confirmed: ice hockey will be staged at the arena in Decines-Charpieu and Hall Tony Garnier, while curling, figure skating and short-track speed skating will take place at Eurexpo, which will also house the Main Media Centre.
The Alpine plan is settled: Courchevel will host the downhill, super-G and team combined events, while Val d'Isere will stage the giant slalom and slalom. Oullins-Pierre-Benite has also been confirmed as the Olympic Village for the Lyon cluster.

For organisers, the announcement marks the end of a period in which the Games' venue strategy has undergone significant change.

Lyon's role as the new ice-sports hub was agreed earlier this year after plans for Nice were abandoned.

What remained unresolved was the precise allocation of competitions within Lyon, with the final decisions following visits to the proposed sites and discussions with international sports federations and local authorities.

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Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, said the project now had "a clear vision, a striking visual identity, a compelling sports programme and an optimised venue plan", as organisers prepare to move into detailed operational planning.

The Lyon cluster will provide a very different backdrop to the mountain venues that traditionally define the Winter Olympics.

Ice hockey will be shared between the Decines-Charpieu arena and the historic Hall Tony Garnier, while Eurexpo will bring curling, figure skating and short track together at the convention and exhibition centre.

The Lyon cluster will have its own Olympic Village in Oullins-Pierre-Benite. A housing development already under construction will provide accommodation during the Games and is intended to leave a longer-term legacy through urban regeneration.

The decision to move the ice hub to Lyon followed the collapse of plans to use Nice's football stadium as a temporary ice venue.

In the mountains, responsibilities have now been divided between two established Alpine resorts. Courchevel will host the speed events, including the men's and women's downhill and super-G, as well as the team combined competitions. Val d'Isere will stage the technical disciplines, giant slalom and slalom.

One element of the wider plan was already settled before Wednesday's announcement. Long-track speed skating was allocated to the Thialf arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, in May.

That decision remains part of Alpes 2030 and gives the Games an unusual cross-border dimension.

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Using Thialf also reflects the organisers' emphasis on existing infrastructure and limiting the need for new construction. The wider sporting footprint now comprises five clusters: Lyon, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, the Brianconnais region and Thialf in the Netherlands.

With the venue map now complete, Alpes 2030 can move into a more operational phase. Organisers will begin developing the detailed competition schedule and ticketing principles, while further sponsorship agreements are expected.

Work will also continue on sustainability and community engagement. Rencontres Alpes 2030 will bring organisers into contact with communities and stakeholders across the host territories, while plans for celebration sites and the Terre de Jeux 2030 initiative are developed.

The organising committee has also pointed to progress made since the previous IOC Coordination Commission meeting, including the creation of the Games vision and visual identity, confirmation of the sports programme and a procurement strategy intended to open opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.

The project has secured its first domestic sponsor and is set to deliver the first fully gender-equal Olympic Winter Games.

Planning for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will also begin, drawing on the experience of the ceremonies staged at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.

2030 Winter Olympics: Venues confirmed for Lyon and French Alps - with long-track speed skating set to take place in Netherlands

Nordic combined dropped from 2030 Winter Olympics schedule

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