On the Scene in Annecy - Alpine Stars, Organizers Mull France's Olympic Future

(ATR) The second International Military Sports Council (CISM) World Winter Games in Annecy entered day two of competition Wednesday on a gorgeous day in the Haute-Savoie region of France.

Local favorite Tessa Worley, who is enlisted as a sergeant in the French Army, took to the racehill in La Clusaz for the alpine skiing giant slalom, an event previously scheduled for Tuesday but postponed due to warm temperatures and fog.

Worley, the 2013 giant slalom world champion, finished second behind Italian Elena Curtoni in a race that was delayed 45 minutes due to a timing problem.

Worley, 23, who resides in nearby Le Grand Bornand, spoke about Annecy’s failed bid for the 2018 Winter Games.

"It was unfortunate because it was going to be an Olympic Games at home that I could ski in and that would have been perfect for me," said Worley. "In 2018, I will be 30 and that’s around the age that life maybe goes somewhere else. Of course, it would be great to have an Olympics here, but it is now so far away."

French downhill specialist Adrien Theaux, another local racer from Val Thorens in the Savoie region south of Annecy, also expressed his hopes for the Olympics to return to France.

"We really like skiing and all the winter sports here in the Alps so I hope in the future we will get the Olympics," Theaux told Around the Rings. "We were a little bit disappointed for 2018, but it’s not easy to have the Olympics and that’s part of the game. It’s a dream for France and I hope we will have it again one day."

Vincent Vittoz, a four-time Olympian in cross-country skiing and resident of La Clusaz, who is serving as Vice-President for Annecy 2013, offered his thoughts on France’s Olympic future.

"We have to make a choice if it’s summer or winter or both, but maybe it will take a long time for France to have a new candidate," Vittoz said. "I think an Olympic project has to have the support of everybody in the State and at the Olympic Committee, so right now I don’t know."

The Mayor of Annecy, Jean-Luc Rigaut, discussed the current status of another Olympic bid from his home city and the challenges that confront France.

"For 2022, we won’t be a candidate," Rigaut confirmed. "For 2018, it was really a disappointment because we know that we can do the best with what we proposed. We have a good organization with all the venues, and with Mont Blanc and Annecy, this beautiful lake and beautiful environment would be the best for sports.

"We knew also that the choice and voting by the IOC members depends not only on the quality of the bid, but also on the international situation," Rigaut said. "It’s normal. It’s politics.

"We have a lot of international competitions and we know that our country is able to do that and that’s why we wanted to organize the World Military Games," the Mayor said. "It’s a demonstration to show the world what we can do.

"Today, I think that Annecy and the Haute-Savoie is ready to make a bid, but the conditions are not good, because France is not ready now.

"I can’t say the date, but it’s possible that we will make another Olympic bid because we are able to successfully organize international events and we’ll continue to welcome international competitions like the World Winter Games this week," Rigaut said.

Ski Mountaineering in Chamonix

The motto of the International Military Sports Council, established in 1948, is "Friendship Through Sport."

Nowhere did this ring more true than at Tuesday’s ski mountaineering competition in Chamonix.

Coping with poor visibility and difficult conditions on the mountain, men’s and women’s skiers battled up four technically challenging climbs totaling 1,390 meters, while also making four tricky descents of 1,370 meters, on the demanding Chamonix course.

Approaching the finish on the final ascent, after more than one hour and 10 minutes of navigating the alpine terrain, Alexis Sevennec of France and Matteo Eydallin of Italy agreed to cross the line together, becoming co-champions with a shared time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 37 seconds.

"We decided to finish together for friendship and sportsmanship," Sevennec said in the finish area after the race.

"After such a long fight and helping each other, we decided in the end that it would not be good for just one of us to win," Eydallin said.

The rigorous sport, which combines skiing skills, mountaineering expertise and endurance continues to grow in stature with a World Cup tour sanctioned by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF).

Some of the military athletes competing in Chamonix this week expressed interest in attaining Olympic status.

"It’s been an incredible event here and I am very impressed," said Laetitia Roux, winner of the ladies ski mountaineering event. "I think we would all like to race in the Olympic Games. Our federation is working hard to go to the Olympics, but we have to be patient. I am sure ski mountaineering will be an Olympic sport in the future."

Cologna Brothers, Controversy in Le Grand Bornand

One of the marquee military sports stars competing this week in the French Alps is Swiss Olympic and world champion cross-country skier Dario Cologna.

However, in Tuesday’s cross-country team sprint event taking place on the tracks of Le Grand Bornand, the dominant Swiss skier and his partner Curdin Perl were disqualified in the semifinal after failing to make a tag in the transition area entering the final loop.

Dario’s mistake opened the door for his younger brother Gianluca, who took top honors in the event along with partner Jonas Baumann, winning the final six-lap sprint by half a second over an Austrian duo.

"It would have been very nice to compete against my brother in the final, he’s a little bit my hero," said Gianluca Cologna.

Regarding the disqualification, cross-country race director Pierre Gayperret commented, "I know that he was not happy about it but that was the jury’s decision. It was a pity for us to disqualify Dario but the rules are the rules, even for Switzerland."

Written and reported in Annecy by Brian Pinelli

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