Nearly two years after the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2030 Winter Olympics to the French Alps, with Nice set to host ice sports (including hockey), today the IOC Executive Board approved the plan to move ice sports nearly 500 kilometres north to Lyon, after political upheaval in Nice left the Games without a venue.

The original plan was intended for the Allianz Riviera, which normally operates as a football stadium for OGC Nice, to be converted into a two-rink arena for the duration of the games, set to run 1-17 February, and host all men’s and women’s hockey games. However, after the election of Nice mayor Éric Ciotti in March 2026, he forced the eviction of hockey from the stadium, arguing that on top of OGC Nice would be forced to vacate the stadium for up to nine months, that the costs for conversion of the stadium, that he would inherit from his predecessor, would be too steep.

Once this threat was made by Ciotti, a number of cities quickly stepped in to offer their services, with Lyon, Paris and former Olympic hosts Albertville and Grenoble considered; however, with the intent to keep all ice sports in the same city, it was determined today that Lyon would host all ice sports (except for speed skating), with ice hockey set to be hosted at the LDLC Arena, which coincidentally will co-host the 2028 IIHF World Championships, along with Paris, in just under two years’ time. Confirmation of this arena, along with a potential second venue, will be confirmed at a later date.

While there was much uncertainty about hockey in particular, with the International Ice Hockey Federation threatening to withdraw hockey from the calendar if the men’s and women’s tournaments were hosted in separate cities or venues, thankfully Lyon came forward with a workable solution in relative proximity to the Alps regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and the 2028 Worlds will act as a good test event for the IIHF and IOC, especially given construction concerns around the newly-built venues for the most recent Milan Games, finished just in time for the Games.

Photo Credit: Artelia Group – IIHF – HHOF – IOC