Speed skating moves to Netherlands, Lyon to host ice sports in 2030 Winter Games

June 23 : Speed skating is set for a move to the Netherlands in the 2030 Winter Olympics, after the IOC's executive board approved a venue plan for the Games to be hosted in the French Alps, with several ice sports also moving from Nice to Lyon.

• The Thialf ice arena in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, has been proposed as the speed skating venue at the 2030 Winter Olympics.

• Organisers wanted a speed skating venue outside France "given the absence of an existing one in the host country," the IOC said on Monday.

• Curling, figure skating, ice hockey and short track are being moved from Nice to Lyon.

• "This evolution supports a more compact overall Games footprint and enables significant cost efficiencies," the governing body added.

• Nice had originally been designated as the Games’ southern “ice sports hub” under the French Alps bid, grouping all indoor events in a major coastal city despite a need to build or adapt venues.