French officials say holding such large-scale events always requires a delicate balance between openness and public safety. They point out that competitions at iconic locations around the city are moving forward, and plans are also underway to hold a “marathon for everyone” on the same course that athletes will run.
But the threat assessment has changed since Paris first raised the slogan “Games Wide Open” two years ago.
The Israel-Gaza war has sparked a spate of bombings, an increase in anti-Semitic incidents and new fears of radicalization here, while the Ukraine war and related bans on Russian and Belarusian athletes have been lifted. Tensions with Russia are increasing. Risk of cyber attack.
The recent theft of confidential Olympic materials has further rattled authorities, who have been preparing for scenarios such as terrorism, devastating crowd surges and protests that bring cities to a standstill.
Organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics were in Paris this month to be briefed on all plans and said they were looking forward to seeing how things unfold.
“We hope to be back for the opening ceremony,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, adding that she was interested in “how we can accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who will watch the boat parade.” added.
“Looking at how plans are progressing for the opening ceremony on the Seine, we may consider holding a more open portion of the games within Los Angeles,” said City Council President Paul Krekorian. said.
But critics say the key takeaway for future host cities may be to temper their ambitions from the start.
Restrictions on admission to the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics is particularly noteworthy as it is the only event that captures the world's attention every four years.
Host countries have typically held ceremonies in stadiums where attendees can be monitored. But French organizers proudly abandoned that approach, and instead on July 26 more than 10,000 athletes will travel by boat along the 5.7-mile length of the newly purified river that runs through the heart of Paris. He announced plans for a floating ceremony.
Initially, Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said more than 500,000 spectators would be able to attend (100,000 ticket holders on the riverbank and 500,000 fans watching for free from the platforms above). However, his latest explanation allocates 104,000 reservation slots for paying fans and 220,000 free tickets for selected residents of Paris and other French cities hosting Olympic events. The total was cut in half.
French Sports Minister Amélie-Oudea Castella, responding to a question from France at a recent press conference, said the changes were “necessary to make the ceremony the most popular possible, while managing all security and safety details.” He said that it reflects “sexuality”. The Washington Post.
Therefore, for many tourists and non-selected locals, an “open to all” ceremony can be a prohibitively expensive proposition. Organizers control ticket sales to prevent scalpers, but in recent rounds prices for spots along the Seine have ranged from about $1,000 to just under $3,000. Meanwhile, prices for hotels and short-term rentals during the tournament are soaring. And under the Paris Olympics bid, public transport, which was supposed to be free for ticket holders, will now cost twice as much as normal.
French organizers have touted the opening ceremony as the largest ever, with the previous attendance record hovering near 100,000.
What are the security concerns?
During the Games, the top priority for security officials will be to deal with large-scale attacks such as the coordinated suicide bombings and shootings that killed 130 people across Paris in 2015, and the one in Nice that killed 86 people when a truck plowed into a crowd. It would prevent terrorist attacks. However, recent attacks in France have all involved small-scale knife attacks, which analysts believe is particularly dangerous during the Olympics.
Cyber attacks are another concern. Some analysts expect there to have been eight to 10 times as many attempts as there were at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, when 450 million attempts were registered. Both attempts were unsuccessful, but in 2016 athletes' health data was leaked in Rio de Janeiro, and in 2018 a cyberattack in South Korea disrupted the broadcast system and shut down the Olympic website. Moscow is suspected of being involved in both incidents.
French authorities are also concerned about technology that could facilitate physical attacks, allowing perpetrators to bypass security checkpoints and physical barriers. Cristian Rodríguez, head of the National Military Police, which focuses on domestic security, recently told lawmakers that the proliferation of cheap drones, which can theoretically be used to drop chemical agents and explosives, is a “real threat.” told.
“It's a good idea to make the ceremony public and to send a signal that the Olympic Games will not be threatened,” said Peter Newman, a European terrorism expert. “But, of course, there are definitely risks.”
French authorities need to prevent a scenario in which boats carrying more than 10,000 athletes and their delegations become “fixed targets” during the opening ceremony, Newman said.
Particular attention will be paid to the Israeli delegation, which faces the biggest risk at the Olympics since the 1972 Munich Games, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed in an attack by members of a Palestinian armed group. there is a possibility.
In addition to avoiding attacks, French authorities are also trying to avoid dangerous situations, such as what happened when fans tried to enter the Stade de France for the 2022 Champions League final or the Stade de Marseille for rugby. He is acutely aware of the need to avoid embarrassing crowd conflicts. Last year's cup match.
Officials are also preparing for the potential impact of the strike. Peasant protests in late January shut down all major roads in and out of Paris. In February, a worker strike forced the closure of the Eiffel Tower. To avoid destructive strikes by civil servants during the Olympics, the French government has offered to pay civil servants bonuses. But perhaps this is not the last word on this issue.
What is your security plan?
French authorities have deployed 15,000 soldiers and 35,000 police officers, who will mainly guard public spaces, and up to 22,000 private contractors who are expected to work in and around stadiums and sports facilities. We are trying to deploy them to counter security threats.
French lawmakers also approved the experimental use of artificial intelligence-powered video surveillance to help detect sudden crowd movements, abandoned objects or someone lying on the ground.
In addition, security staff, volunteers and residents near sensitive locations (about 1 million people in total) will have to undergo special security checks, Darmanin said. Anyone who lives or works near the Seine in central Paris may be required to present his QR code to access his home or business before and during the opening ceremony . Some metro stations will be closed, many roads will be closed to traffic, and car owners near Olympic venues will have to register with authorities to use parking during the Games.
“You don't hear much about openness in Paris these days,” said François Heysbourg, a security expert and longtime adviser to French government officials.
“Traveling will be hell,” he admitted of his intention to leave Paris during the Olympics.
But just booking an escape from Paris is complicated. The last weekend in July is usually the busiest time of the year for travel, as Parisians leave the city and head south for their summer vacation. However, French Railways is not selling train tickets for the opening ceremony on July 26, citing a need for more information from police.
Extensive security details are not expected to be made public until shortly before the Olympics.
French officials said this included Plan B for the opening ceremony. “Given that we are experts, it is clear that there is a plan B, a plan C, etc.,” President Emmanuel Macron said in December, without providing further details.
In two separate incidents in recent weeks, officials have admitted that thieves have stolen devices containing confidential Olympic documents from government employees. A man has been arrested for stealing materials containing plans for canals and road signs, according to French media reports. No suspects appear to have been arrested in connection with the second theft, which involves access and transportation planning.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said on French television that none of the stolen material was “highly sensitive,” adding that the most important security plans were “held in strict secrecy.”
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach confirmed that special arrangements were being made for the Israeli delegation. Israel faces calls to be banned from the Paris Olympics because of its military actions in Gaza, but Olympic officials say there is no doubt that Israel will participate.
Les Carpenter in Washington contributed to this report.
