Bidding for the Games - Inside the Annecy Applicant File

(ATR) Annecy calls its bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics "a new beginning for mountains in the 21st century," with iconic Mont-Blanc, the focal point of the 1924 Chamonix Games, as its literal and figurative heart.

"We think that our territory needs to have the Olympics to push itself to a new dimension," Annecy bid CEO Edgar Grospiron tells Around the Rings. "Now it’s time to reinvent ourselves."

The applicant file says Chamonix was the "starting point of the incredible development of winter sport tourism in the French Alps."

Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion, says the bid’s assets include a strong winter sports culture and traditions and world-famous ski resorts in the French Alps. "It’s important for us and important for the Games to be in that part of the world again," he says.

Chamonix was the first of three Olympics to be held in the French Alps, followed by Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992. This is Annecy’s first bid.

Grospiron doesn’t think the previous Olympics in Haute Savoie will be a disadvantage. But he says Annecy must improve travel in the area.

"We have to improve many things and we also have to think about the place of sport and Olympism in our society and to give a stronger place in France to sports," he says.

Much of the infrastructure is already in place, with 65 percent of the venues in existence. Annecy has a budget of $385 million for construction and modernization, "not much compared to Albertville or Sochi," Grospiron says.

The bid enjoys strong political support from ministers and the French president and will not be affected by any changes in the cabinet, Grospiron says.

The 91-page applicant file, which includes two maps and five charts, was submitted to the IOC ahead of the March 15 deadline. Rivals PyeongChang, Korea, and Munich, Germany, are also bidding and the IOC will choose the winner July 6, 2011, in Durban, South Africa.

The Annecy Web site is http://www.annecy-2018.com/

Annecy Applicant File Highlights

The Annecy Winter Olympics would take place from Feb. 9 to 25. The Paralympics would be held from March 9 to 18.

This period would coincide with school and university holidays to ensure optimal attendance, a large number of volunteers and the option of using school and university housing and transport vehicles with, the bid points out, "experienced drivers."

The three main themes are environment, sports and society.

The national and local authorities will jointly fund the sporting infrastructures and facilities needed to successfully host the Games.

The Swiss city of Geneva and the State Council of the Canton of Geneva have lent Annecy support.

There are two major clusters -- the Annecy pool and the Mont-Blanc pool –served by air, rail motorway and road. Each pool will have an Olympic Village and a media center and the Villages are 50 minutes apart.

Sliding events would be held at La Plagne, which also hosted the 1992 events. The track was updated in 2008.

The land for the Villages are in the process of being purchased by the relevant local authorities.

The Annecy Olympic Village (467 m. in altitude), with 2,500 beds, will be set 10 minutes from the Ceremonies Stadium, and five minutes from the Main Media Centre.

The Mont-Blanc OlympicVillage (560 m in altitude) will have 2,300 beds.

There will be 13 competition venues. Only the 4,000-seat curling venue requires no work.

Six existing venues require updating: men’s and women’s alpine courses, women’s ice hockey, freestyle skiing, snowboard and bob/luge/skeleton.

Six venues must be built, including two (speedskating and biathlon) that will be built irrespective of the Olympic Games. Venues for men’s ice hockey, figure skating/short track speedskating, cross country skiing/Nordic combined and ski jumping/Nordic combined are dependent on winning the Games.

A new high-capacity gondola would connect the snowboard venue at Flaine with Mont-Blanc.

The Annecy pool brings together Lake Annecy and the Alps with the charm of the Old Town.

Annecy will be home to the Ceremonies Stadium (Opening, Closing, Medals) on a site that attracts 50,000 spectators each year for the Fête du Lac; all of the skating events (Speed and Figure Skating), Biathlon and Nordic Skiing, held at La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand, and all of the competitions of the XII Paralympic Games.

The IOC Session will be held in Annecy’s new Convention Centre, which will be completed by 2014.

The Olympic Family accommodation will be in Annecy.

The Mont-Blanc pool, at the foot of the highest mountain in Europe, will host the curling, ice hockey, freestyle skiing, alpine skiing and snowboarding competitions. It includes ski resorts Chamonix, Flaine, Les Houches, Megève, Morzine and Saint-Gervais, which have hosted major international competitions of the last century.

There are more than 80,000 rooms within a 50 km radius around the Games Centre and within a 10 km radius around the competition venues.

Room rates for 2009 range from $172 for a 3-star single room to $1,573 for a suite.

A Media Village equipped with 3,000 individual rooms will be located in 700 three-star level chalets. The project is said to be able to revitalize the local timber industry.

A survey conducted by the Bid Committee in February 2010 found that 88 percent of the French are in favor of Annecy hosting the Games, with 48 percent very favorable). This popular support was also strong in Rhône-Alpes (83 percent) and Annecy (81 percent).

90 percent of the French see the positive impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018 (and 91 percent among inhabitants in Annecy and in Olympic venue sites.

Average snow depth exceeds 80 cm, the average temperature is -1°C during the day and there are moderate or low winds.

Transport improvements are planned, including upgrades to roads and rail lines.

The area is served by two international airports: Geneva and Lyon.

83 percent of the athletes will be less than 30 minutes away from competition and training venues.

The Sponsorship Program is estimated at $629 million.

Ticket revenue is estimated at $215 million and is based on a "cautious" attendance rate of 85 percent.

Revenue from the sale of licensed merchandise is estimated at $36 million and $ 7 million from the sale of commemorative Olympic coins.

Lottery revenue is estimated at $21 million.

The budget for the bid is $21 million.

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