Today, during the 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee in Paris, France, the next two Winter Olympic Games hosts were confirmed, with the French Alps winning the 2030 Games, while the 2034 Games will return to Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

The French Alps will host the world’s top winter athletes from 8-24 February, with the southern of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes splitting the duties. Ice hockey would be hosted at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, which would be converted from a football stadium to a hockey arena. This would be Nice’s first time, and France’s fourth time, hosting the Winter Games, after hosting the inaugural Winter Games in Chamonix (1924), Grenoble (1968) and Albertville (1992). A four-time World Championship host, France will host the 2030 Games just two years after Paris and Lyon will host the Worlds; however, 2030 will mark the debut of IHLC competition, for men or women, in the south of France.

The Games will then return to the American Rocky Mountains from 10-26 February, with the Games returning to Salt Lake City for the first time in over three decades. Ice hockey will return to the Maverik Center (formerly E Center) in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, which hosted the 2002 tournament that led to Canada’s historic double Gold victory for their men’s and women’s team. This will mark the fifth time the United States has hosted the Winter Games, with Salt Lake joining Lake Placid (1932, 1980) and Olympic Valley (1960) as hosts. West Valley City is set to host the U.S.–Canada women’s Rivalry Series this November, the first IHLC matches in the city since the aforementioned 2002 games.

The bids, which both technically entered for 2030 contention, but Salt Lake was pushed to 2034 due to the U.S. hosting the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, defeated a joint bid from Stockholm-Åre, Sweden, along with a joint Swiss bid from multiple cities across the country.

Our congratulations go out to the people of both France and the United States, who will welcome the world to their shores for the Winter Olympiads!

Photo Credit: IOC Media – IIHF – HHOF – IOC