Annecy 2018?

Graffiti on Annecy Winter Olympics 2018 sign

With just weeks to go before the decision of who will host the 2018 Winter Olympics is announced, I spotted this graffiti in Annecy. In case you didn’t guess, “NON” in French means “NO” in English, and this sign is right by the lake on one of the entrances to the Bonlieu Centre which houses the tourist office. Foot traffic from tourists and locals alike is heavy, so whoever defaced the sign picked a very public place. Plenty of people want the bid to be a success, but lots of locals are against the whole plan. A car around the Aravis has been plastered with posters for months showing the the € (Euro) currency symbol in the colours and form of the Olympic rings, and a variety of e-mails are still being bandied around saying how evil the bid is and how much it’s costing the villages involved.

The winner of the 2018 Winter Olympics will be announced on 6th July. I’m expecting to hear celebrations into the evening whether Annecy gets the vote or not.

About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.