Biathlon star Fourcade withdraws bid to head French Alps 2030 Olympic organizing committee

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Biathlon star Fourcade withdraws bid to head French Alps 2030 Olympic organizing committee

2025-02-03 20:44 Last Updated At：20:51

PARIS (AP) — French biathlon star Martin Fourcade has withdrawn his candidacy to be president of the organising committee of the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Fourcade said he ended his bid because of divergences with the stakeholders of the French project.

“There are still too many differences of opinion to be able to contemplate this mission calmly. The mode of governance, the vision, the territorial roots: we have not been able to find common ground on these fundamental issues,” Fourcade wrote in an email to the members of the future executive committee of the 2030 Games seen by The Associated Press.

The organizing committee is due to be announced later this month and Fourcade was seen as the front runner to be named president after getting the support of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The 2030 Winter Games already is on the tightest time scale of any modern Olympics, with just 5 1/2 years between the hosting award last July and the opening ceremony. Olympic rules used to require the host to be picked seven years in advance, and Salt Lake City also was picked in Paris last July more than nine years before its 2034 Winter Games open.

L'Equipe newspaper reported that Fourcade was particularly upset by the decision to set up the headquarters of the organizing committee near Lyon. The city is close to the Alps but its identity is far remote from the mountains.

“My ambition for these Games is clear: they must be in step with the times, fully aware of ecological issues and rooted in our country’s economic reality. That’s why I believe it’s essential to organise these Games in a mountain region,” Fourcade wrote. “I believe that it is essential to enable all the players involved to understand the specific characteristics of today’s mountains if we are to fully grasp the challenges of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. I regret that this vision is not shared by all the players involved.”

The 36-year-old Fourcade moved on to Olympic politics after a glorious biathlon career during which he won six Olympic gold medals. He was elected in 2022 to be an IOC member by fellow athletes and was part of the organizing committee of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The French bid for the 2030 Games was the only candidate and is a project centered on ski resorts in the French Alps and ice sports venues in the coastal city Nice.

France previously hosted the Winter Games three times: the inaugural 1924 edition in Chamonix, 1968 in Grenoble and 1992 in Albertville.

AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.