It must me to use as leverage he prefers

The bid Committee of the city of Annecy for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games has a new weight support: Franck Riboud. The CEO of Danone must today announce the signing of a partnership agreement by his group the "supporter" of the Prefecture of the Haute-Savoie, who will face Olympic Munich and Pyeongchang (South Korea) in July 2011 in Durban before the members of the international Committee. Next XXIesJO.

Ambassador but not leader

As early as February 15, the day after the opening ceremony, the bid Committee held a press conference before the journalists in the Canada. Under the leadership of the national Committee on Olympic and sports English (CNOSF), seven evenings will be allowed to receive Olympic representatives of different continents. And, guided by a Jean-Claude Killy decided to get involved, Edgar Grospiron, appointed Director General of Annecy 2018 (after the decision of the policy of retreating to a supervisory board presided over by Guy Monteil, President of the General Council of Haute-Savoie), will be met with approximately 65 members of the IOC. "We are not visible on the international plane, Vancouver is our last chance," said "The team" the former Olympic champion of mogul skiing. Franck Riboud is the economic plan otherwise link in rescue, at least for the promotion of the French application acceleration.

While claiming not to be an Ambassador more important that Aimé Jacquet or chef Marc Veyrat, the son of Antoine Riboud, who was close to Jean-Claude Killy and sponsor of Albertville with Evian, recognizes that "put forward the name and the weight of Danone (15 billion euros of turnover, Editor's note) gives credit to the nomination. So, that said "have been high in Annecy" in a House by the Lake, owned by the family for three generations, and which claims to be "an excellent skier", "will not be Annecy 2018 that was Arnaud Lagardère Paris 2012". Goodwill Ambassador, Yes, leader of an Enterprise pool, no. "It must me to use as leverage," he prefers.

"In reality, he says also, are the entities of the group in the region, the source Evian, casinos and hotels in Evian, the Evian golf who support the project, with as host Jean-Pierre Deffis (President of Evian Volvic Source, Editor's note)". "It is above all a commitment to political and social local", insists, stating: "this does not imply the other subsidiaries and Annecy Gets the games, nothing said that the group or one of its brands will be sponsor."

Franck Riboud knows that Coca-Cola, "top" partner of the IOC, has pre-empted the category soft drinks of the Olympic events. But malicious like his father, who had brandished a Carambar on the set of "The hour of truth", and not ignoring the "ambush marketing" techniques, he warned: "If the bid is successful, it would be logical that it enjoys a removal of lift and the city of Evian is integrated into the gaming sites."

"We go there to win."

Modest, or malignant, in its position, the boss of Danone does however flowing praise for the project of Annecy. "It is extraordinary." All sports infrastructure already exist and are experienced. Hotel capacity are also. And for transport, with the motorway network and the TGV, is 100.

For him, the question of whether the nomination of Annecy has a chance at Munich, including, and the propensity of members of the IOC to cities winter games, should be located away from the snow-covered slopes, does not arise. "We go to win." It is known, especially with the experience of Paris 2012, that must be checked a number of cases, that the record is not all there to entice the right people at the right time. It should be. "Indeed, if it goes to Vancouver,"is also to make the "benchmark", see how it is organized since things have evolved since Albertville ". The index that his interest in Annecy 2018 could still extend beyond the simple application...