On July 26, the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games will open in Paris, France. At a crucial moment, marking the 100 days leading up to the Olympic Games, on the 17th of this month, Andy Anson, the CEO of the British Olympic Committee, in an exclusive interview with Sky News, highlighted that the most important aspect in organizing these Games is to take into account existing security risks.
Traditionally, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games have been held in indoor stadiums. However, this time in France, the ceremony will involve athletes parading 6 kilometers along the Seine River in boats, with numerous spectators lining the banks, which could raise safety concerns.
Andy Anson stated: “It would be too naive not to consider this. “Our priority is to ensure the safety of all athletes, accompanying staff and spectators.”
On April 15, French President Macron, during a joint interview in the Grand Palace with the French media RMC and BFM TV, reaffirmed his confidence in the success of the opening ceremony to be held on the Seine River. However, he also mentioned that, given the possible security risks, he has surprisingly proposed two alternative plans.
Macron said: “We are considering other plans, in case the opening ceremony on the Seine faces too high a security risk. “We could limit the number of people and hold the ceremony in Place Trocadero, or even move it to the Stade de France.”
Moving the opening ceremony from traditional stadiums to open urban spaces has been a highly creative design by the Paris Organizing Committee. According to the committee’s current plan, approximately 10,500 athletes will sail boats from east to west along the Seine to Place Trocadero, in front of the Eiffel Tower, to participate in the celebration ceremony there. Along both sides of the river, some 300,000 spectators will be able to witness this great event live.
In 2023, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin especially highlighted that drone attacks “are undoubtedly the main threat to be faced during the Olympic Games.” Recently, he has raised concerns that anti-drone defense systems put in place to secure the Games may not be up to the task of protecting the capital from potential attacks. In France there are approximately 3 million drones, most of them privately owned, posing a considerable risk. The development of the security system for the Paris Olympic Games was commissioned by the French group Thales in April 2022, but to date, the modular drone protection system has not yet been delivered.
With the imminent opening of the Olympic Games, we hope that the French government will further strengthen all security measures to present a spectacular and safe global sporting event.
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