2030 Olympics: The Olympic rings installed in Courchevel, one of the host venues

"We are at a great symbolic moment," declared Fabrice Pannekoucke, the LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, as he unveiled the famous interlocking circles in front of the two ski jumps built for the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics in Le Praz, one of the villages of Courchevel. On one of them, a giant banner read: "French Alps 2030".

The unveiling of the Olympic symbol, borrowed from the Paris 2024 Olympics, was preceded by several activities (ski jumps, cross-country skiers' parade and torchlight descent with LED torches) which delighted both locals and holidaymakers.

"The fact that we are the next to gradually organize the embodiment of these Games, the pride of these 2030 Games will eventually flood everyone," Fabrice Pannekoucke told the press, who was notably accompanied by the mayor of Courchevel, Jean-Yves Pachod.

"Everyone is very happy and full of energy to organize them. I think it can only be a good thing, for the region, economically, for all the athletes and for all the inhabitants of Savoie and Haute-Savoie," Frédérique, who came from Aix-les-Bains, almost two hours' drive from Courchevel, told AFP.

The final map of the 2030 Olympic venues, spread between the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, will be finalized in June.

The overall cost of these Games was estimated in December at 1,4 billion euros.

The financing and detailed costs of the forty or so works planned so far for the 2030 Olympics (athletes' villages, sports facilities, public access) were approved on Wednesday during a board meeting of Solideo, the public establishment in charge of their delivery.