Speed skating for the 2030 Winter Games will not be staged in France, organisers confirmed on Saturday. The French Alps 2030 committee has secured pre‑existing ice rinks in either Turin or Heerenveen, meaning athletes will compete in Italy or the Netherlands. President Edgar Grospiron said the arrangement was a non‑negotiable condition set by the IOC when France won the bid.

Hosting events beyond a host nation is not unprecedented; Paris 2024 moved surfing to Tahiti, a French overseas territory thousands of kilometres away. Unlike that arrangement, the 2030 speed skating venue will sit in a sovereign state. Meanwhile, French Alps 2030 plans clusters in Nice, Briançon, Savoie and Haut‑Savoie for the remaining ice sports, though figure skating and several new disciplines remain undecided.

Grospiron stressed the bid’s tight budget, noting the committee has “little time, little money” yet remains confident of a successful delivery. By placing speed skating abroad, French Alps 2030 becomes the first Games to host a discipline in a different European country, a move that could reshape future Olympic venue strategies. The decision locks in an unprecedented cross‑border competition for 2030.