Sawt Falasteen - France present Alps' bid to host 2030 Winter Olympics

French Olympic committee president David Lappartient said the thirty-minute presentation achieved its aim of showing a united front between the different regions involved from Nice to Haute-Savoie.

"It went well, we presented it together, united, that's the message we wanted to give," said Lappartient.

"There was stress, we really felt like we were taking an exam but we had really prepared. We played a good match," said Laurent Wauquiez, who presides over the Auvergne-Rhone-Alps region.

Wauquiez said concerning the financial aspect, "there are major partners of Paris 2024 who have already said that they are ready to support us", without specifying which ones.

Rival candidates Sweden and Switzerland also presented their projects on Tuesday to the IOC, Lappartient said.

The IOC Executive Board will meet in Paris from November 29 to December 1 to decide which candidates it will enter the dialogue phase with.

France has hosted the Winter Games three times -- at Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.

Stockholm hosted the Summer Games in 1912, but has never hosted a Winter Olympics despite numerous attempts over the years.

The IOC is expected to make its decision in 2024.

S.AbuJamous--SF-PST