Ex-Medef chief Roux de Bézieux takes over 2030 Winter Olympics committee after Grospiron exit

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, 64, a businessman who formerly led the Medef employers' federation, was named president of the organising committee for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics on Thursday 29 October. He replaces Edgar Grospiron, who quit on 10 September, about seven weeks earlier.

An extraordinary general assembly appointed him at the committee's headquarters in Décines-Charpieu, near Lyon. Speaking briefly to the press afterwards, he said: "It's the job of a lifetime!" He also said he had experienced the two Olympic fortnights of Paris 2024 as "an enchanted moment" and wanted to bring that back to the French public in 2030. On the state of preparations, he said: "We're not behind schedule, but we're not ahead of it either."

Who he is

Roux de Bézieux had already sat in the organising committee's structure, chairing its remuneration committee since April. He was also on the board of Paris 2024. He led the Medef from 2018 to 2023.

Jamaica Observer adds that he began his career at L'Oréal and later made his fortune creating or running telecom operators and other companies. It also says he helped organise the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Why the post was open

According to TV5Monde and AFP, the committee had been weakened for months by a governance crisis. Grospiron's departure followed that of his deputy, Cyril Linette, in February. The operations director, the communications director and the remuneration committee chairman, Bertrand Méheut, had left before that.

Grospiron, an Olympic moguls champion at the 1992 Albertville Games, had held the presidency for about a year and a half. Jamaica Observer puts his age at 57. It reports that the French government, the two host regions, and the French Olympic and Paralympic committees told the International Olympic Committee last month that they no longer believed they could work with him. The outlet also describes tensions with regional stakeholders who resented attempts to impose Paris 2024 methods.

What awaits the new president

TV5Monde and AFP say Roux de Bézieux was flanked by Sports Minister Marina Ferrari, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes president Fabrice Pannekoucke, French Olympic committee (CNOSF) president Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Michel Barnier. Ferrari stressed his listening skills, and Barnier his ability to respect the teams. Barnier also noted that recent Games abroad had sometimes been led by a business executive or by someone who was not an Olympic champion.

Both outlets list the same priorities for him, with the opening ceremony three and a half years away: winning over future sponsors, easing tensions inside the committee and reassuring people about how the project is run. Asked whether his contact list would help him attract sponsors, he answered: "You won't sell a product if it's bad. This isn't about cronyism."

TV5Monde and AFP add that the committee must now move into the operational phase. The sports programme and the split of events between Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur have finally been settled. The Olympics run from 1 to 17 February 2030, and the Paralympics from 1 to 10 March 2030.