LYON, France, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Vincent Roberti was appointed interim president of the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics organising committee on Monday following the departure of Edgar Grospiron, the latest upheaval in the Games’ troubled preparations.
An extraordinary general assembly approved a temporary rule change allowing Roberti to combine the presidency with his existing position as director general until a permanent successor is appointed.
"I am ensuring continuity of the organising committeeuntil a new president is appointed. The OCOG (French Alps Games Organising Committee) is fully operational," Roberti told reporters on Monday. "I will carry out this interim role as long as necessary."
Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, the head of theIOC's coordination commission for the 2030 Games, said that the appointment "guarantees stability and continuity for the project".
"We have been impressed by the experience, professionalism and calm leadership he has brought to this project since his arrival," Beckers-Vieujant told reporters.
Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic moguls champion, left just 18 months after taking charge amid tensions over the organisation and governance of the Games.
His departure followed that of former director general CyrilLinette, who stepped down earlier this year citing “insurmountable disagreements”.
"The departure of the president of an Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is not a trivial event," Beckers-Vieujant said.
"We note that, as the great Olympic champion he is, President Grospiron has taken responsibility and decided that given the governance tensions that have emerged in recent months, it was time to bring in a new presidency for the Organising Committee."
"It is obvious that there have been tensions among the stakeholders, some feeling that they are not being listened to enough, others that they do not have enough freedom," he added.
The French Alps project has encountered several challenges, including the decision in May to relocate the ice sports events from Nice to Lyon.
Nice had originally been designated as the Games’ southern “ice sports hub”. However, the city's newly elected mayor, Eric Ciotti, refused to allow the use of the Allianz Riviera stadium, home to Nice football club, as a temporary ice rink for the men's hockey competition.
The International Olympic Committee's wish to retain a unified ice sports cluster means the ice events will be moved to Lyon, with the exception of speed skating, which will be hosted at the Thialf ice arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands.
The IOC Coordination Commission is due to hold a news conference in Lyon on Wednesday following its second review of preparations for the 2030 Games.
"Among other things, the visit of the Coordination Commission is intended to give final approval to the allocation of sports and disciplines that have been selected for Lyon," Beckers-Vieujant said.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Toby Chopra and Christian Radnedge)
