On the Record - Anticipation Builds for Annecy World Winter Games

(ATR) VP Vincent Vittoz tells Around the Rings "interest is getting bigger and bigger" with 10 days to go untilthe Annecy 2013 CISM World Winter Games.

Vittoz, a four-time Olympian in cross-country skiing and 2005 world champion, sits second-in-command of the organizing committee and, as an Annecy native, is a natural spokesman for this month's Games.

He spoke to ATRon Tuesday as Annecy 2013 enters the final two weeks until its March 25 opening ceremony.

Around the Rings: What exactly is your role with the Annecy 2013 CISM World Winter Games?

Vincent Vittoz: I’m a vice president of the organizing committee. Along with the president, General Jean-René Bachelet, I lead the organizing committee. I lend my experience of high-level sports. I competed in four Olympic Games and international ski competitions during 16 years. I’ve seen a lot of organization, and I give my experience of all of that. For my career, I was a military sportsman for the French military ski team. I have also an experience about military world championships and ski world championships.

ATR: How ready is Annecy with 10 days to go until the Games?

VV: The interest is getting bigger and bigger. Before, it was only the army. But now in Annecy we can see the tribune for example for the opening ceremony was built. I think for the people it’s more and more near and it’s more and more concrete. In two weeks, everything will be ready and I think people will enjoy being in this area.

ATR: Why were local authorities so keen to get involved in the World Winter Games?

VV: For us, the Annecy area and all of the local authorities and community, it’s a good opportunity for us to show our capacity to organize an international event. I think for France and for Haute-Savoie, it’s really important to be able to organize such events like a World Cup in alpine skiing in Chamonix or La Clusaz in cross-country skiing. It’s important for us to show our capacity to say welcome to the world.

We have also athletes like Tessa Worley born in Le Gran-Bornard, and it’s good to welcome her and also for the young skiers and the teenagers it’s a good opportunity to see top athletes and grow up our ski atmosphere and ski level.

ATR: What is the spirit of the Annecy 2013 World Winter Games? What are the organizer’s expectations, and what do these Games mean for Annecy?

VV: It’s a big event. It’s an opportunity to see the capacity to organize a major international event. Annecy was a candidate to organize the 2018 Winter Olympics. I think it’s important to show Annecy as an international center.

ATR: Could you give me a rundown of the sports on the program, including those special to the World Winter Games?

VV: We have six sports for the competition. First of all, of course, alpine skiing at La Clusaz. We have biathlon and cross-country skiing at Le Grand-Bornard as well as the patrol race. It’s a specific military race. We have four athletes, and it’s a biathlon race, but the four athletes run together for 25km and it’s a true team competition.

We have ski orienteering on the mountain of Annecy. This is a major area. I think it’s the best site for ski orienteering.

We also have two sports in Annecy: short-track speed skating in the skating area of Annecy and climbing in the gymnasium of Annecy.

The last competition will be ski mountaineering in Chamonix on the top of Mont Blanc. It will be the best place to have ski mountaineering. We have one in the mountain of Chamonix and one in the night in the center of Chamonix. It will be a relay, and we will have with the lights a nice view in Chamonix.

ATR: Speaking from personal experience, how does competing in a World Winter Games compare to a Winter Olympics?

VV: Olympics is the best, of course. It’s the most important for all athletes.

For me, during 16 years, the French army helped me to reach my goal to practice my favorite sport. I think this event is to do your best and is one of the better ways to say thanks to the French army. This is extremely important for us because I find in the French military ski team another family. It’s a mix of different sports, and when for example you are with Tessa Worley in alpine skiing or Martin Fourcade in biathlon, it’s like an Olympic team. You are in the same family, you discuss with them, and I think all the experience you have with all these good athletes helps you to move up.

ATR: What’s it mean to be a military athlete? What extra advantage do you bring when competing in sport?

VV: In France, I think most of the French skiers are military guys. As I said, they give you another family. When you’re OK, the difference is not so big. But in the career of athletes, sometimes you have some downs, and I think to have another family to help you to come back, this is extremely important for all the athletes during all their career. If you don’t have this team, I think it’s harder to come back.

ATR: Anything else I should be asking, or anything else you wanted to share with me?

VV: Maybe we can speak about the opening ceremony and the atmosphere in Annecy. I just want to say I think there will be a really nice opening ceremony of course with a nice show with military music groups and we have a flying French aerials acrobatic team.

You know Annecy is on the border with a lake, and just beside the lake on the mountain at the end we will have fireworks and it will be an extremely nice ceremony to enter into the week affair and then we will have an extremely good competition with good athletes, Olympic champions and it will be a big fair in Annecy during this week.

Interview by Matthew Grayson

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