French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he will support Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Three cities are vying for the chance to host the event: Annecy, Munich and South Korea’s Pyeongchang. The International Olympic Commission plans to decide the host on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.
Sarkozy traveled to Annecy Friday to meet with members of the IOC evaluation commission.
Annecy’s bid has been troubled by local opposition. Residents of the Semnoz mountain region say the Games will cause environmental damage, AFP reports.
The IOC began evaluating the city at the base of Europe’s tallest peak Mont Blanc on Thursday.
Sarkozy spoke to a tourism conference in the sky resort of La Clusaz Friday, saying, “You have a great candidature, a magnificent region and you want to host these Games. We are all going to pull together in a bid to get them.”
France lost its previous Olympic bid for the 2012 Summer Games when Paris was beaten by London.
