Paris and Lyon prepare as Nice mayor opposes 2030 Olympics ice hockey venue

Far-right mayor opposes plan for football team to lose stadium access due to 2030 Winter Games’ ice hockey.French organisers of the 2030 Winter Olympics are looking at alternative locations for ice hockey outside of Nice, including Paris and Lyon, because of a political deadlock involving the coastal city’s new mayor.Like the Milan Cortina Olympics, the French Alps project has split snow sports in storied mountain resorts and skating in a snow-free city, the Mediterranean resort of Nice.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Croatia’s Modric undergoes facial surgery but aims to be fit for World Cuplist 2 of 4FIFA urged to push US for ‘ICE Truce’ at World Cup by rights grouplist 3 of 4PSG pose ‘toughest challenge’ to Bayern Munich’s Champions League dreamlist 4 of 4Mbappe could miss El Clasico after Real Madrid confirm thigh injuryend of listNice was to turn the city’s football stadium, Allianz Arena, into a temporary hockey rink.But Nice’s newly elected far-right mayor, Eric Ciotti, opposes the plan, refusing to allow the resident football club to lose access to its stadium for months because of the games. Ciotti, a former conservative allied with the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, was elected last month.The 2030 Games organisers said on Tuesday they have worked with officials from Nice and its wider region, as well as the French government, to find solutions for placing ice hockey within the Olympic hub in Nice. A temporary ice rink, intended as a replacement for the originally planned Allianz Riviera stadium, was studied at other stadiums, mainly for men’s hockey matches.“Technical, scheduling, and financial analyses highlighted the limitations of these options, particularly due to their very high cost and impact,” organisers added.“With a focus on efficiency and budget optimisation, the (organising committee) has decided to broaden its investigations by examining the use of existing facilities in other major metropolitan areas such as Lyon or Paris, particularly those offering a minimum seating capacity of 10,000,” they added.