Annecy Chief Confident Despite Poll Showing Half Local Residents Oppose Bid

Annecy 2018 bid chief Charles Beigbeder remains confident that the city will win the rights to host the Winter Games despite half of Annecy’s residents being against their candidacy, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Way for ODS Radio, a local station.

Results of the survey revealed that just 49 per cent of those polled said that they were in favour of the bid, a figure which rises to 80 per cent across the whole of the country.

The poll claiming that 50 per cent of local respondents said that they opposed Annecy’s candidature comes just a week after another poll carried out by Opinion Way which suggested that support for the bid had increased to 67 per cent in the city.

Annecy, considered the outsider in the race to host the 2018 event, is up against Munich and Pyeongchang, with the decision due at the International Olymipic Committee (IOC) Session in Durban on July 6.

The bid leader for Annecy, Charles Beigbeder, nevertheless, claimed that he expected Annecy to win, saying: “Right now I’m focusing on the international side of the bid and IOC members.

“Once we will be awarded the Games, we will have plenty of time to work with [Annecy citizens] and to take into account their legitimate concerns.”