Olympics-France conditionally confirmed as 2030 Winter Games hosts, IOC says

By Karolos Grohmann

PARIS (Reuters) -France was conditionally picked as the host of the 2030 Winter Games on Wednesday and must now deliver key financial guarantees in the coming months, the International Olympic Committee said.

The French Alps bid was the preferred choice since June but due to elections and a current caretaker government had been unable to deliver the necessary state and regional financial guarantees in time.

France must have the guarantees signed by its prime minister by Oct. 1 and have them ratified by parliament no later than March 1 2025, the IOC said.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the IOC session prior to the vote on Wednesday in a bid to ease any concerns and show his support for the candidacy.

"I confirm the full commitment of the French nation, and assure you that I will ask the next prime minister to include not only this guarantee but also an Olympic Law in the priorities of the new government," he said.

"Seven years ago we made the same commitment (for the Paris 2024 Summer Games), and we delivered. We will do the same."

The IOC said it had received a number of assurances regarding the outstanding guarantees that include the state's Olympic delivery guarantee and the financial guarantees of the two regions involved -- the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur regions.

However, it said it would not countersign the host city contract, which has already been signed by France, until those guarantees were delivered.

The IOC decision, with the bid earning 84 of 88 votes, means France will host the Winter Games six years after the Summer Olympics in Paris, which start on Friday.

The project aims to unite the north and south French Alps.

"This is a feeling of happiness," said French Olympic chief David Lappartient. "During the last year we spent massive on the bid. Now this is it. Never had an Olympic bid been so fast and then succeeded.

"This allows us to follow the wave of Paris 2024, to benefit from their expertise," he added.

France previously staged the Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)