Ciotti calls for an inquiry into the 2030 Winter Games

Paris – 17 July 2026: Eric Ciotti is calling for the establishment of a parliamentary committee of inquiry into the organisation and financing of the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in the French Alps. The mayor of Nice and his UDR party justify the initiative by citing serious internal dysfunctions and inadequate management. Such a request further increases pressure on preparations for the Games, which are already politically sensitive.

The reason is the hearing held on 15 July at the National Assembly with Edgar Grospiron, president of the Cojop Alpes 2030 organising committee, and its director-general Vincent Roberti. Both presented members of parliament with an update on the situation. Roberti, who only took office in mid-June, announced a reorganisation of responsibilities between the presidency, general management and executive bodies.

The reorganisation is a response to a leadership crisis that lasted for months. In December 2025 and at the beginning of this year, several officials had left the committee. A state inspection subsequently recommended defining decision-making processes more clearly. Roberti told the parliamentary committee that the committee must now build a stable and permanently operational administration. It currently employs around 100 people; shortly before the Games, this number is expected to rise to around 2,000.

The financial framework also remains a central point of controversy. The Cojop’s first multi-year budget, approved in October 2025, amounts to €2.132 billion. According to the organisers, 75 percent should be covered by private funds. Budget planning is due to be reviewed in October, after the competition venue map was confirmed at the end of June and additional revenue and savings are expected.

Among the significant items, those responsible cite the transfer of ice events from Nice to Lyon. They put the expected savings at €100 million. At the same time, private financing is not yet secured: the organiser is targeting around 50 partners in different categories and expects €563 million in sponsorships. According to Grospiron, by mid-July only 24 percent of this target had been contractually secured.

Ciotti’s request therefore concerns an area that goes beyond issues of sporting organisation: oversight of public guarantees, regional contributions and private revenue forecasts. On 5 February 2026, the state definitively approved the law governing the staging of the Winter Games. It contains, among other things, special rules for public procurement, planning, security and infrastructure, as well as provisions for strict oversight of public spending.

However, a committee of inquiry has not yet been established. The National Assembly already has a working group tasked with monitoring preparations for the 2030 Winter Games. Whether Ciotti’s initiative will result in a formal parliamentary inquiry mandate depends on the necessary procedural steps and political majorities. However, the request increases pressure on Cojop to transparently explain its new leadership structure, revised budget and financing.