02/25/26 11:29:00
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02/25 03:36 CST Turmoil-hit 2030 French Alps Olympics lose CEO Cyril Linette in
leadership shake-up
Turmoil-hit 2030 French Alps Olympics lose CEO Cyril Linette in leadership
shake-up
PARIS (AP) --- Organizers of the 2030 French Alps Olympics confirmed Wednesday
the departure of their chief executive officer following weeks of internal
turmoil.
They said the exit of Cyril Linette --- who was at loggerheads with Edgar
Grospiron, the former Olympic champion freestyle skier who leads the organizing
committee --- was formally acknowledged during a meeting of the executive board
last weekend.
Organizers said the decision reflected a collective desire for a "new momentum
through renewed governance" ahead of a key phase of their project.
Tensions have multiplied in recent months, against a backdrop of several
resignations, culminating in open conflict between Grospiron and Linette. Their
feud was just the latest episode in a saga of turbulences that have weakened
the project.
It followed the successive resignations of chief operating officer Anne Murac,
communications director Arthur Richer, as well as the departure of Bertrand
Mheut, who was in charge of the remuneration committee.
"The stakeholders reaffirm their commitment to the success of the 2030 French
Alps Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," organizers said. "The collective
priority remains the continuation of the work already underway in service of
the project."
The French Alps Winter Games --- with speed skating destined to go abroad to
Turin, Italy, or Heerenveen in the Netherlands, where venues already exist ---
has always been on the tightest timeline of any modern Olympics.
Like this month's Milan Cortina Olympics, the French Alps has a split between
snow sports in the mountains and skating in a snow-free city, the French
Riviera resort Nice.
Speed skating events are likely to be held abroad at an existing venue to avoid
the high costs of building a suitable rink, with the Thialf Arena in Heerenveen
or the Oval Lingotto in Turin among the contenders.
A definitive map of the sites has yet to be adopted and is expected to be
decided by the end of June.
___ AP Winter Olympics:
https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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