General French News | Arsene Wenger praises French Olympic bid city

Tuesday, April, 19th at 14.05 by Paul Smithson

Premier League football manager Arsene Wenger had plenty of kind words to say about the French Winter Olympics bid city of Annecy at a recent press conference.

The destination, found in the east of France near the Swiss border, is one of three finalists bidding for the 2018 sporting showcase, alongside Munich in Germany and South Korea's Pyeongchang.

Speaking to World Football Insider, Wenger said: "Annecy is a very beautiful city, they have very good facilities and very good hospitality." He jokingly added "and the French cuisine was not bad as well".

The Frenchman is not an official ambassador for the campaign, but was present in the audience as representatives from Annecy made a key presentation at the SportAccord conference in London today.

His support will not hurt the city's bid for the event and he may have even inspired some Gunners fans to take French holidays in the Alpine town. The former Monaco manager used to take his players there while he was in charge of the club.

The veteran manager added: "I think it is very good, dynamic, very modern, very engaging and I like the idea it is supported by all the great sports people we have in this country."

Annecy will find out on July 6th whether its bid has been successful, when the International Olympic Committee meets in Durban, South Africa.

The last Winter Games was held in Canadian city of Vancouver in 2010, with the next one set to be staged in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

On its official bid website, Annecy highlighted the town's "unique charm" and the fact that Chamonix was the birthplace of the Winter Olympics as reasons why its application deserves to triumph.