Nice Mayor Says He Will Cancel 70.3 Worlds – IRONMAN Says Event Still On

April 23, 2026

Eric Ciotti, who was elected last month to be the new mayor of Nice, outlined his plans to reduce the city’s budget by 60 million euros. Among the cancellations he intends to bring to Nice’s city and metropolitan councils are the upcoming IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice scheduled for Sept. 12-13, and the UTMB event race that is set to take place from Sept. 24-27.

The cancellations are among a number of cuts Ciotti plans that will enable him to cut property taxes in the city by 4.4 percent, a total of 33 million euros, along with a cut to the household waste tax, which will save residents another 11 million euros. The cuts include a number of perks that elected officials had previously enjoyed including vehicles, security and parking. Elected officials will also see salaries reduced by a quarter, according to nice-premium.com.

On the chopping block in terms of events is the International Metropole Nice Côte d’Azur pétanque competition, which will save the city 300,000 euros – one would assume in hosting fees.

Even bigger news for the endurance world, though, are the two other events Ciotti has in his sights – the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (which reportedly will save 1.6 million euros in hosting fees), and the Ultra Trail Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur event by UTMB, which will save the city 650,000 euros.

Just because the mayor proposes the cuts doesn’t guarantee they will happen – the municipal council votes on the proposed budget. That said, typically the mayor is elected by the council, which means he typically holds a lot of sway over the voting. Slowswitch