Oligarchic Games 2030 : Grospiron The Joker
The backgroung of the 1992 freestyle Olympic champion suits both presidents of the two organizing regions. Fits like a glove and nice pair of skis ?
Translation of this original article.
Looks like the Organizing Committee for the 2030 Olympic Games (Cojop) in the French Alps has found its "providential man." On February 18, Edgar Grospiron is set to be officially inaugurated as the president of the Cojop, an organization so far running around like a headless chicken.
Despite a “constrained” budget (set - promised, no overdraft - at under 2 billion euros), the 2030 Winter Games will run at a deficit. It’ll fall on the shoulders of the taxpayers, again. Funding yet another event tailored for the "global elite," as the Olympics have not been meant for the masses for quite some time. Except on TV.
The looming threat of snow scarcity is exacerbated by recent landslide risks on already overcrowded roads to access resorts. Skiers are increasingly confined to the same crowded spots. Expanding the infrastructure is neither feasible nor advisable without turning to cable cars or blasting tunnels.
Oddly enough, there's little astonishment as Edgar Grospiron emerges like a magician's grand white rabbit out the politicians’ hat. He was absent from the starting line in the race to head the Cojop. Martin Fourcade, six times Olympic Gold winner in Biathlon, was the favored contender.
The reasons behind the withdrawal of France's most decorated Winter Olympic athlete are enlightening. Fourcade phrased his decision in a letter sent to all members of the future executive committee of the Organizing Committee (that’s a whole lot of committees) for the 2030 Winter Games, a letter than France’s most read newspaper, L’Equipe, published.
Neither the governance, the vision, nor the local anchoring aligned with the values upheld by the six-time Olympic biathlon gold medalist. The battle over the location of the Cojop headquarters illustrates the politics and the impetus being set for the 2030 Olympics - yet another real estate bonanza.
Before the option of Groupama Stadium in Lyon as the HQ was considered, the organizing committee was set to be based at the Auvergne Rhône Alpes regional governement headquarters, home of Laurent Wauquiez - oh sorry, Fabrice Pannekoucke. Martin Fourcade, on the other hand, advocated a location closer to the actual olympic sites, in Grenoble, Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains, or Albertville.
"These Games must be in tune with the epoch, respecful of the envrionment and rooted in local economic reality. Organizing these Games from a mountain territory seems critical to me. It's crucial for every stakeholder to understand today's mountain specifics to fully grasp the unique challenges of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics," wrote Martin Fourcade.
With Fourcade's and Teddy Ryner's (yes, the judoka was approached... Judo on ice! ) passed over, it seems that other candidates - Nathalie Péchalat, Vincent Jay, Marie Martinod, Jean-Luc Crétier, and Gérard Holtz - were merely placeholders, paving the way for Edgar Grospiron.
Why is Mr. Grospiron so competent? His achievements? Besides an Olympic gold medal in Albertville in 1992, Edgar Grospiron is a triple world champion. But freestyle skiing is far from being the king sport of the Olympics. His experience in managing major events? Edgar Grospiron was the general manager for Annecy's bid for the 2018 Olympics. Short-lived, as this bid was rejected in favor of Pyeongchang.
Edgar Grospiron convinced his recruiters with his “energy, passion, and expertise." That’s all folks ? Some affinities (to say the least, political leaning right, that Grospiron does not hide) cannot be ruled out. Edgar Grospiron's wife ran on Renaud Muselier's (the now president of Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur Region) list for the 2014 European elections. Mr. Muselier wasn't quite thrilled about Martin Fourcade's candidacy - which had Emmanuel Macron's favor - harshly criticizing the biathlete once he withdrew and spoke his mind.
Nathalie Thevenet-Grospiron, Mr. Grospiron’s wife is also a notary1 in Annecy. She knows the ins and outs of the ski resort real estate business, given she also deals in leasure property rentals in La Clusaz, the city chosen to be the Olympic Village in 2030 and host cross-country skiing competitions. Part of her family lives in La Clusaz, including her father-in-law, who is none other than the mayor of the city. Surprising? In mountain resorts, business is often conducted among family or friends, likely because that sphere is extremely small... and extremely opaque, leading to a big load of criminal investigations (and no conviction) , as Jacques Dallest, former Sate Prosecutor in Savoie and Isère, told L'Eclaireur in 2022.