With Paris about to stage the 2024 Summer Olympics, France officially launched a bid on Tuesday for the 2030 Winter Games, spread over sites with existing infrastructure from Nice to the Haute-Savoie.
The head of the French Olympic Committee David Lappartient and the Alpine regional president Renaud Muselier promised the bid would be 95 per cent based on existing sites when they outlined their proposals.
Nice would host the Olympic village, media centre and indoor skating events, meaning an ice rink would have to be built at the coastal city.
Ski resort Meribel-Courchevel would host the alpine skiing events, Isola 2000, just a 90-minute drive from Nice, would host the snowboard competitions and the Grand-Bornand is earmarked for the Nordic events.
Switzerland and Sweden have already declared themselves candidates and France is keen to avoid running over a proposed budget of 1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) euros.
"We will trim down this budget," Lappartient, also head of the International Cycling Union, said. "The world is changing and we need to change too, there is no room for white elephants.
"As with Paris we are seeking a durable legacy on viable economic terms to reflect the changing world."
France has hosted the Winter Games three times – at Chamonix in 1924, Grenoble in 1968 and Albertville in 1992.
"We have a great chance of winning because of our skiing facilities. We have political backing on a regional level and from the president of France," said Muselier.
A decision on the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games will be made most likely in July 2024.