Speed skating events at the 2030 Winter Olympics in France will be held in Italy or the Netherlands rather than in the host country, marking an unprecedented move in Olympic history.
While some Olympic events have been held in different cities within a host country, staging competitions in an entirely different nation is highly unusual.
According to foreign media reports on the 22nd, the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics organizing committee announced that speed skating events will be held in Turin, Italy, or Heerenveen, Netherlands, instead of France.
The 2030 Games will be distributed across southeastern France, centered on Nice and Savoie. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organizing committee decided to utilize existing facilities to avoid constructing new venues with uncertain post-Games use.
"Hosting speed skating abroad was agreed upon with the IOC at the time of the bid," Edgar Grospiron, president of the organizing committee, said at a press conference in Milan. "This will be the first time an Olympic event is held in another European country."
The organizing committee plans to finalize arrangements by June, as approximately 15% of venues have yet to be confirmed.