No 'specific' terrorist threat to Paris Olympics: Minister

“Currently, there is no specific terrorist-related threat targeting the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Sports Minister Amélie Oudea Castella told Channel France 2.

He said an opening ceremony on the Seine remained the “main plan” but suggested alternatives were being prepared behind the scenes.

Instead of parading around an athletics stadium at the start of the Games, athletes will sail down the Seine in a flotilla of riverboats in front of up to 500,000 spectators, including those watching from nearby buildings.

“Just because we're not talking about Plan B doesn't mean there isn't a Plan B,” Udea Castella added.

All countries have said they plan to participate in the open-air river parade, including the most risk-averse countries such as the United States and Israel.

The Olympics have come under attack in the past, most notoriously in Munich in 1972 and Atlanta in 1996, when thousands of athletes, large crowds and viewers watching live television around the world were attacked. became a target.

Organizers have previously denied moving the opening ceremony from the Seine, but have hinted that it could be downgraded, for example by allowing only performers rather than athletes to ride boats. .

According to the Interior Ministry, French security forces are conducting tests on up to one million people ahead of the Games, including people living near key infrastructure.

After the Moscow attacks, the government placed the country on the highest terrorist alert. This means security forces maintain a more visible presence around potential targets such as government buildings, transport infrastructure and schools.

Oudea Castella said that rehearsals for the opening ceremony will be held on the river on May 27th and June 17th.

CTO/ADP/GJ