Dutch city Heerenveen to host 2030 Winter Olympics speed skating events in French Alps

Heerenveen, Netherlands, is set to become the speed skating venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics, an event primarily hosted in the French Alps. The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Commission approved the proposal on Monday, marking a significant return for the Netherlands to Olympic hosting duties after more than 100 years. Their last Olympic event was the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games.

The Thialf facility in Heerenveen, recognized as one of the world's premier speed skating venues, will be central to the Olympic events. However, the 2030 organizing committee still needs to finalize discussions with the owners of Thialf.

This arrangement, where different countries co-host parts of the Games, is not unprecedented. Past examples include the 1956 Melbourne Games, where equestrian events were moved to Sweden, and the 2024 Paris Games, where surfing took place in Tahiti. The IOC also decided that Lyon, France, will host other ice sports like hockey, short track, figure skating, and curling, replacing Nice due to local political opposition to building a rink in a football stadium.

The IOC stated that relocating these events to Lyon, France's third-largest city and close to the Alps, offers a more compact Games distribution and significant cost optimization without compromising competition quality or athlete experience. Alpine skiing events will be held in Courchevel and Val d'Isère, joining other confirmed venues in the Savoy and Haute-Savoie departments and Briançon for sports like cross-country skiing, ski jumping, bobsleigh, and snowboard.