This announcement caused a sensation amongst the inhabitants of the Dauphiné, who immediately gave their enthusiastic approval to the project which was soon to create an upheaval in the economic life of a region which was already developing rapidly, and to confirm Grenoble as a great winter sports centre.
The idea of Grenoble's application was not put forward without due thought: the originators were the Prefect of the Isère in office at the time, Mr. François RAOUL and Mr. Raoul ARDUIN, at the time President of the Dauphiné Ski Committee, a branch of the .They were the first to study under what conditions Grenoble and the Isère department could undertake this grave responsibility and to examine the Olympic question in a local context.
The Grenoble Town Council, presided over by Dr Albert MICHALLON, gave its approval and hastened to contact the French Olympic Committee, the French Ski and Ice Sports Federations, the Government Authorities, and the various local administrative departments to request their support and prepare an application file.
On December 30th, 1960, Dr. MICHALLON officially informed the President of the of Grenoble's application for the Xth Winter Olympic Games. In his letter, Dr. MICHALLON stressed that the Dauphiné was applying for the honour of organizing the Games because "the region has many large modern winter sports resorts of world-wide repute" and "Grenoble, now an urban centre of more than 200,000 inhabitants, constantly progressing demographically and economically, has the great privilege of its situation in the geographical centre of a region traditionally renowned for sport, and equipped with enough basic installations to facilitate such an undertaking".However, Grenoble, which, according to geographers, is the flattest town in France, at an altitude of 200 metres, could not possibly provide facilities for all the events included on the programme of the Winter Games.
The ski events had to be distributed, therefore, over the various winter sports resorts which surround the town, and all of them, without exception, enthusiastically agreed to back the application of the Dauphiné capital: in the Oisans range, the resorts of Les Deux Alpes and Alpe d'Huez (the latter resort had already organized the World Bobsleigh Championships in 1951, and, furthermore, possessed a magnificent skiable area culminating at an altitude of 3,600 metres); in the Belledonne range, the new Chamrousse resort; on the Vercors plateau, Lans, Méaudre, Autrans, and Villard de Lans.
The promoters of Grenoble's application next undertook to back their proposal by a detailed study of the facilities Grenoble and the Dauphiné resorts could offer with a view to the organization of the Xth Winter Olympic Games; choice of the lay-out of the ski trails, study of the plans of the sports installations which would have to be constructed (ski jumps, speed circuit, Ice Stadium), study of accommodation and transport facilites... etc.
It was soon necessary to group all efforts and volunteer work. On December 18th, the
"Committee for the Application of Grenoble for the Xth Winter Olympic Games 1968"
was legally constituted as an association in accordance with the law dated July 1st 1901. The Association was directed by a Board of Directors consisting of 4 ex-officio members, the Prefect of the Isère, the Mayor of Grenoble, the heads of the Sports and Finance Departments of the Town Council and 8 other members, chosen by the Association amongst its active members.RAPPORT OFFICIEL
comité
d'organisation
des Xemes
jeux
olympiques
d'hiverOnt collaboré à cette réalisation
Maquette
Jacques ROLLET
Edipress
Fer à dorer
Marc PESSIN
Hors texte
Yves MARCHAND
Jacques Antoine BIBOUD
Robert TERMAT
Photographies
Photopress - A.I.G.L.E.S. - Jean-Marie Marcel - F. Bachrach
Samlevin - Groupe de Paris - United Press - A.F.P. - Draeger
Stadion - H. Kronfeld - Cl. Angelini - A. Mollard
Télé Photo - Associated Press - F. Dardelet
O. Battanchon - Films 13 - Givet
Imprimé en France - Dépôt Légal No 192 du 2e trimestre 1969
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