The new compact set-up is organised around two main bases - Annecy and Chamonix Mont-Blanc - less than one hour apart and connected via a direct motorway link and the "Olympic train" and all the competition events will take place within a 33 kilometre radius, it is claimed.

The new plan was drawn-up after Annecy's orginal proposal was heavily criticised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who claimed that a plan consisting of ten stand-alone venues, two Athletes Villages and the need for three additional athletes' accommodation centres presented "a higher degree of risk".

French organisers have now gone back to the drawing board and come back with a plan that means that the ice sports plus freestyle ski and snowboarding will be focussed on Annecy.

Chamonix, meanwhile, will be the home for ice hockey and alpine skiing.

La Plagne will continue to hold the sliding events.

There will be two Athlete Villages.

The main one will be in Annecy and have 3,000 beds while there will be another one in Chamonix which will accommodate 1,000 competitors and officials.



The fact that the new plans have the support of triple Olympic skiing gold medallist Killy is significant.

He is an influential member of the IOC and chairman of the Coordination Commission for Sochi 2014.

But he was an opponent of the original proposal.

"The new concept is validated by Jean-Claude Killy," Grospiron told insidethegames.

"He has got the expertise.

"He was very impressed when we brought the first plan and that it worked well.

"His support is very important to us because he has so much experience and standing in the Olympic Movement.

"When you can benefit from that expertise it is invaluable.

"Every word he says is very important for us."

Annecy also unveiled a new promotional campaign underpined by the slogan "Snow, Ice and You!"  - in French "La neige, la glace et vous !" - to help publicise their campaign.

"Since we were selected by the IOC as a Candidate City in June, we have worked tirelessly to devise a network of competition venues calibrated to win, to design a signature which bears the force of our conviction and to come back to you, today, with the massive support of the sports world as a whole," said Grospiron.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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