French Alps conditionally confirmed as host of 2030 Winter Olympics

The French Alps was conditionally selected as the host site for the 2030 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, and must now deliver key financial guarantees in the coming months, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.

The bid from France had been the preferred choice since June, but due to elections and a current caretaker government, organizers were unable to deliver the necessary state and regional financial guarantees in time.

France must have the guarantees signed by its Prime Minister by October 1, and have them ratified by Parliament no later than March 1, 2025, the IOC said.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the IOC's 142nd Session prior to the vote on Wednesday, in a bid to ease any concerns and show his support for the candidacy.

"I confirm the full commitment of the French nation, and assure you that I will ask the next Prime Minister to include not only this guarantee but also an Olympic Law in the priorities of the new government," he said. "Seven years ago we made the same commitment (for the Paris 2024 Summer Games), and we delivered. We will do the same."

The IOC said it had received a number of assurances regarding the outstanding guarantees that include the state's Olympic delivery guarantee and the financial guarantees of the two main areas involved – the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur regions.

However, the organization said it would not countersign the host city contract, which has already been signed by France, until those guarantees are delivered.

The IOC decision, with the bid earning 84 of 88 votes, means France will host the Winter Games six years after the Summer Olympics in Paris, which will start on Friday.

The project is aimed at uniting the north and south French Alps.

"This is a feeling of happiness," said French Olympic chief David Lappartient. "During the last year we spent massively on the bid. Now this is it. Never has an Olympic bid been so fast and then succeeded. This allows us to follow the wave of Paris 2024, to benefit from their expertise."

France previously staged the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.