Overview
- The executive bureau of the Games' organizing committee, after consulting the IOC, decided on May 29 to transfer the ice competition cluster from Nice to Lyon.
- Organizers confirmed that all ice events will be held in Lyon, with long‑track speed skating to be staged abroad, because Nice lacked a viable solution for hockey venues.
- Mayor Éric Ciotti says he refused to hand over the Allianz Riviera and called the transfer a political decision that harms Nice residents.
- Jordan Bardella publicly accused the organizers of politically penalizing Ciotti, and Renaud Muselier responded with a five‑page letter and sharp public rebukes of Bardella and Ciotti.
- The dispute highlights how local control of stadiums, IOC requirements and regional politics can reshape event plans and may prompt inquiries and formal responses from political and organizing bodies in the coming weeks.