French President Emmanuel Macron said for the first time on Monday that the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics could be moved from the Seine to the national stadium if security threats arise.
Instead of the team sailing down the Seine on a barge, Macron said the ceremony could be confined to the Trocadéro building, across the river from the Eiffel Tower, or “could be moved to the Stade de France.” said.
Organizers in Paris broke with the tradition of opening at the main stadium and devised a ceremony unprecedented in Olympic history.
The team will be paraded down the Seine in more than 100 barges before gathering at the Trocadero for a ceremony.
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But the ceremony also leaves the team potentially vulnerable to attack as wars escalate in Ukraine and Gaza. For example, French authorities have mentioned the possibility of a drone attack.
Organizers have so far ruled out the July 26 ceremony being moved to another venue if authorities determine it could be a target.
“This opening ceremony… is a world first. We can do it and we will do it,” President Macron said in an interview with BFMTV and RMC.
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But he added: “We have a plan B and a plan C,” including moving the ceremony to the main Olympic stadium, the Stade de France north of Paris, which will host rugby sevens and track and field.
President Macron said it was “traditional” to hold the ceremony at the main stadium.
“We will analyze this in real time,” Macron added.
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Moving the ceremony from the Seine would be a major undertaking and would take away from the defining image of the Paris Olympics.
More than 300,000 spectators will attend the ceremony, with an additional 200,000 expected to watch from buildings along the Seine.
So far, all countries have said they plan to participate in the outdoor river parade, including the most risk-averse countries such as the United States and Israel.
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“We anticipate and will have a very large security cordon in place and will be checking all people entering and exiting.”
Macron also said that “everything will be done” for a truce during the Olympics.
The armistice is a historical tradition that ensures peace reigns during the Olympic Games.
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“We want to work towards the Olympic Truce and I see this as an opportunity for me to engage with many partners,” he said.
He said he would ask China's president to cooperate with that goal when he visits Paris in early May.
“I have requested Mr. Xi Jinping's cooperation,'' Macron said.
The Paralympics will begin on August 28th after the Olympics.
President Macron said France's goal is to be in the top five in the medal rankings at the Olympics and among the top eight countries at the Paralympics.
The president acknowledged that Paris' metro system is not accessible to wheelchair users and could cause difficulties for Paralympic spectators.
Mr Macron admitted that accessibility on many old metro lines was “not good enough”.
He said 1,000 wheelchair-accessible taxis would be made available during the Paralympics to compensate.
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