France 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034 have been chosen as the preferred hosts for the Winter Olympics, with their respective bid teams set to enter into discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as announced by the IOC on Wednesday.
Bid leaders will intensify talks with the IOC, elaborating on plans and state support, with the Olympic governing body set to decide on the hosts for 2030 and 2034 at its session in July 2024.
"The IOC Executive Board today invited the French National Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee into targeted dialogues towards hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the French Alps and the 2034 edition in Salt Lake City, Utah," the IOC said in a statement.
"We will start more detailed discussions with the interested parties," Karl Stoss, head of the IOC's Future Host Commission, said at a press conference.
"They (cities) have now to do their homework. The decision is not made yet. The work is not finished. But we have another six months to come to a decision," he added.
The French bid, involving the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur regions, earned praise for its plan to hold the Games in four separate clusters and for its strong support from the public and private sectors, the IOC noted.
"In the final stage of the dialogue, the IOC selects the French Alps to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter.
"Innovative, sustainable, and inclusive Games, which will make France and its mountains shine. What pride!"
Salt Lake City had initially considered bidding for the 2030 Games, but abandoned the plans due to its proximity to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Its current plan relies on existing venues only and requires no significant capital investment, according to the IOC, building on the work from the 2002 Games.
This is not the first time in recent years that the IOC has pursued long-term security with a double allocation, having selected Paris for the 2024 Summer Games and LA for the 2028 edition in 2017.
France has previously hosted the Winter Games in 1924 in Chamonix, in 1968 in Grenoble and 1992 in Albertville.
Switzerland and Sweden have also expressed interest in hosting the 2030 Games. Salt Lake City previously hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Switzerland was invited into a "privileged dialogue" for the 2038 Winter Games, with the bid working with the IOC until 2027, when a decision for a preferred host will be taken.
