Resignation of Edgar Grospiron, president of the 2030 Alpine Games Cojop, after a series of turbulences

After the calm comes the storm. The Organizing Committee for the 2030 Alpine Games (Cojop) had a rather quiet spring and early summer, during which it took the opportunity to reveal the map of sites as well as the emblems of its Games. But after a few months of respite, Cojop is once again in turmoil and must face a new resignation, that of its president Edgar Grospiron, announced Thursday September 10. At the start of the year, there had already been four high-profile departures. While Cojop appears weakened today, it hopes to bounce back with the change in governance. A look back at these two years of turbulence.

The government's financial guarantee is a long time coming

The grains of sand in the machine began as soon as the 2030 Winter Olympic Games were awarded to the French Alps, on July 24, 2024, by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The latter allocates them subject to receiving financial guarantees from the French State and the regions in the event of a deficit from the Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Cojop). But what should have been a formality is complicated, since France has found itself in clear political instability since the dissolution of the National Assembly decided by President Emmanuel Macron on June 9, 2024.

After several weeks without a government, Michel Barnier, appointed Prime Minister on September 5, 2024, was only able to sign the government's letter of commitment a month later, on October 2, being forced to wait for his general policy speech to the National Assembly. An additional deadline was then accepted by the IOC.

Nine months of waiting for the Olympic law

After asking for a delay for the financial guarantee, we then had to be patient to get the Olympic law passed. After nine months of waiting, Parliament adopted, on February 5, 2026, this law proposed in the Council of Ministers on May 15, 2025. Approved by the Senators by 390 votes to 99, it underwent a long parliamentary journey, adopted at first reading in June by the upper house, then put on hold by a new political crisis.

This step was decisive for the proper preparation of the Games, since it allows temporary exemptions from common law in matters of town planning, housing, health, work but also security. The experimentation of an algorithmic video surveillance device was also extended until 2027, after a test phase launched for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which ended in March 2025. Furthermore, this text also plans to give private security agents the possibility of carrying out visual inspections of vehicles and their trunks. This law, essential to the preparation of the Games, was even described as an “essential toolbox for the successful delivery of the Games” by the Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari.

Big favorite, Martin Fourcade refuses the post of president of Cojop, Edgar Grospiron chosen

Who to be the “Tony Estanguet of the Alps 2030”? A first name emerges, that of Martin Fourcade, six-time Olympic biathlon champion. “I understand that Martin Fourcade can be the Tony Estanguet of the mountains, which would be great,” even slips the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, in August 2024, after the Paris Olympics. If the position interests him, and if he even acts as a favorite, the one who was president of the Paris 2024 athletes' commission prefers to throw in the towel at the beginning of February 2025, citing deep disagreements on "the mode of governance, the vision, the territorial anchoring" with the other players in the Games.

“My ambition for these Games is clear: they must be in tune with the times, fully aware of ecological issues and anchored in the economic reality of our country,” he claimed. Two weeks later, Edgar Grospiron, Olympic mogul ski champion in 1992, was named president of Cojop. “I had no history, I did not take the file as I would have liked to see it or as I would have liked it to be. And my job, with the team that I am going to recruit, will be to deliver the Games within this framework,” he declared at the time.

Resignations and a president of Cojop at the center of criticism

Since his arrival, Edgar Grospiron has navigated troubled waters. In December 2025, resignations continued within Cojop. Anne Murac, the director of operations, was the first to leave her position on December 9, followed by communications director Arthur Richer on January 23 for “a disagreement over strategy”. On February 3, new resignation, that of Bertrand Méheut. The chairman of the Cojop remuneration committee denounces a “significant drift” and directly targets Edgar Grospiron and his management.

On February 25, again, with the departure of general director Cyril Linette, for “insurmountable disagreements between president Edgar Grospiron” and the CEO. Only this last position has since found its successor, Vincent Roberti, appointed at the beginning of May, after several months of interim provided by Michel Cadot, former interministerial delegate to the Paris 2024 Games.

“A month and a half late” on the planned deadlines

The numerous problems linked to governance have not been without consequences. Cojop has in fact fallen behind the announced deadlines. France is "a month and a half late, which is not catastrophic because we are fortunate to have infrastructures which are already there and know-how in the territories", remarked, on March 6, the Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, who wanted to be reassuring: "We will deliver these Games", she said confidently.

“I am here so that we have an organization that works, that is efficient, with governance that is sustainable over time, we are starting to fall a little behind, so we must not fall asleep,” she nevertheless warned. To achieve this objective, "it is absolutely necessary today that we put governance back on the right track", the minister once again pointed out. During an Executive Committee meeting on June 11, 2026, the IOC decided to postpone the announcement of the complete program for these Games (number of participants, disciplines, etc.) by three weeks.

The election of Eric Ciotti in Nice reshuffles the cards

While the map of sites has been awaited for months, the municipal elections in spring 2026 have cast a veil of uncertainty over the Alps 2030 project, particularly over the part of the southern Alps. Initially, the sector was to accommodate the ice center – figure skating, ice hockey, short track, curling – as well as the Olympic village and a media center. The closing ceremony was also to take place in Nice. The outgoing mayor – and defeated in the second round of municipal elections – Christian Estrosi had carried the project, alongside the president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Renaud Muselier.

But the arrival of Eric Ciotti at Nice town hall shattered the initial project. If the newly elected "wishes the Games in Nice", certain "elements seem inconsistent to him". The big black spot, according to him, is the mobilization of the Allianz Riviera, the Nice stadium, for several weeks, thus depriving OGC Nice of its showcase in the middle of the Ligue 1 season. Faced with this categorical refusal, the Cojop worked on another option making Lyon the new ice center for the 2030 Games. A plan B validated by the IOC at the end of June.

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Executive office postponed and “mental health audit” launched

After a few months of respite, tensions resumed during the summer. During the Cojop executive meeting on July 23, during which the evolution of governance was on the agenda, the stakeholders postponed the subject until the start of the school year, "without this impacting the smooth running of the project", assured Edgar Grospiron. During this executive office, two new positions of director of operations and director of the executive unit had to be validated.

At the same time, Cojop employees testified to Le Parisien about a harmful work environment, evoking "terror", "brutality", and "harassment" in management, also relaying "psychosocial risks, sick leave, threats of resignation". The number 2 of Cojop Vincent Roberti then announced that an “audit on the state, moral, mental health, well-being of the agents” would be carried out “to see if what we write is true or not true”, in reaction to the article in Le Parisien. As of September 8, no conclusion had been reached on the subject, Cojop confirmed to franceinfo: sport.

President Grospiron presents his resignation

Announced on September 8 in the press, the departure of Edgar Grospiron took place in a silent climate. Cojop does not confirm the information before the executive office. Only the last minute cancellation, and for no specific reason, of an announcement about partners raises red flags. Contacted by franceinfo: sport, the Savoie department "does not wish to speak on the subject, not being a key player, but only a partner".

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As for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, a player at the heart of the organization, its president Fabrice Pannekoucke also hits the ground running and only specifies that the "executive office [on Thursday] and a coordination commission next week will allow us to continue working". With more serenity? “We will work for it,” he agreed on September 9. The departure of Edgar Grospiron was finally officially announced on Thursday September 10, at the end of the day. A page is therefore turning in the organization of the French Alps Games, without us knowing who will take the reins of this titanic mission.