Unusual: the blunder of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region to illustrate a 2030 Olympic campaign

La malencontreuse campagne a depuis été retirée par la région PACA. Capture d'écran – X

The French region, host of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games, made a strange mistake in its communication campaign. 

A wooden chalet covered in a thick layer of snow, the mountain in the background: the image chosen by the Paca region to illustrate a campaign for the Olympic Games #39;winter 2030 in the French Alps would have been idyllic if it had not been taken in Switzerland.

It was the Swiss regional daily Le Nouvelliste, contacted by one of its readers, who revealed the blunder: "Specialists from the region and the Valais mountains then took part in the game of seven differences. They are unanimous: it is indeed the Val d'Hérens the unintentional star of this French promotional campaign, writes the newspaper, supporting photomontage.

"Internal error"

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Paca) region, which is supporting the French Alps' candidacy for the 2030 Winter Games with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region ( Aura), is at the origin of the use of this image for its communication campaign for the traditional January greetings, with the slogan: "The Olympic and Paralympic dream ever closer! ".

JO 2030: les Alpes françaises utilisent une image du… val d’Hérens pour promouvoir leur candidature https://t.co/wK0bA6ZxMJ

— Le Nouvelliste (@lenouvelliste) January 25, 2024

Questioned by AFP, the Paca region acknowledged "the unfortunate use of this image", an "internal error" all the more "incomprehensible, when we know the beauty of the French Alps and our Southern Alps": "It has naturally been removed from all communication media in the region since that we became aware of it,” she continued.

In Switzerland, unsuccessful candidate, we smile yellow

"If it remains not serious", the error still "stung a little in Valais", according to Le Nouvelliste, which recalls that" #39;in November the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pre-selected the only French candidacy, to the detriment of the Swiss and Swedish candidacies.

The French Alps, which launched their application in a few months last summer, must now go through several months of detailed evaluation of their file, from the map of sites to the ;#39;planned legacy, through environmental impact, financing and political support. Before a final choice by the IOC, probably in July. Since then, the president of the Paca region Renaud Muselier (Renaissance) has continued to rejoice at this preselection, and recently said: "There is work to be done, but we have the snow, the chalets, the skiers&quot ;. Near a chalet.