France to kick off 2024 Paris Olympics under tight security
3 min read
Due to the tensions amongst the Political parties, France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympic Opening Ceremony through the heart of Paris. France will officially kick off the games with a tightened security to avoid risks during the game.
They will deploy a total number of 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers, and 2,000 private security staff that will ensures the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments as well as in unprecedented display of security. A procession of barges will take nearly 7,000 athletes along the river past Paris’s most famous landmarks, while more than 300,000 spectators will watch from the banks.
During the previous Olympics in Beijing 2022, the games were disturbed by a war that took place in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense backdrop to the Games. France is at its highest level of security alert even though officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.
As part of a massive security operation, authorities have turned to powers passed under anti-terror law, placing 155 people under surveillance measures that strictly limit their movement and this is according to official data and a Reuters review of cases.
The officials have revealed that, Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics. Scores of world leaders will be in France for the opening ceremony, which will be protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine’s riverbed has been swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace will be closed.
For the Games more generally, radar-surveillance planes and Reaper drones will watch sensitive sites from above, and Mirage 2000 fighter jets will be on standby to intercept aircraft straying into restricted airspace.
The President of France Emmanuel Marcon assured the Citizens and the visitors(Participant) through his X-page that Everything is Ready and they must enjoy their games without worry. Marcon said ”Everything is ready, Even the (Olympics) rings are there, Enjoy the Games!”
Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy. But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and is casting a shadow over his moment on the international stage.
Maximum security also means more grumbling from locals and after police imposed a security zone along the river ahead of the opening ceremony, erecting metal barriers to fence off neighborhoods and requiring authorization to passes with QR codes and to enter.
Cafes along the banks of the Seine, which normally buzz with activity in the summer, have been left un-functioning due to the restrictions. That has not helped lift the national mood over the Olympics, which Macron hopes will improve once the Games have properly started.
According to a list published by the IOC on July 20 it stating that, Russia’s invasion to Ukraine means Moscow’s usually huge delegation of athletes has been reduced to 15 who met and accepted eligibility requirements to compete as neutrals. On the other hand the Belarus will send 17 athletes to compete as neutrals while Ukraine is sending 140 athletes as its smallest contingent since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Starting-Time of games will be at 7:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), in broad daylight, the ceremony, which marks the official start of the Paris 2024 Games, will pass by many of the French capital’s beloved landmarks, including the Louvre Museum and Pont des Arts bridge.
The Ceremony’s Choreographer Maud Le Pladec said “We’re going to take advantage of all the historic monuments around the Seine, and there won’t be a single riverbank or bridge that won’t be filled with music, dance, or performance.”
Opening Ceremony will take a different approach as it will be paraded out side of the Arena/ Stadium and the details including some of the artists taking part, and who will be the last to carry the torch and light the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games, have been kept secret.
It will be more than 10,500 athletes who will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. The competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday. The closing ceremony will take place on Aug. 11.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
