Athletes arrives Paris for Olympics
French security police began the close down of major portions of central Paris on Thursday, in preparation for the immensely complex Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine River next week.
The opening procession along six kilometers (four miles) of the river resulted in the closure of riverbank central districts to most cars at 5:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Thursday.
Anyone wishing to enter the highest-security “grey zone” along both sides of the Seine, such as residents or tourists with hotel reservations in the area, must present a security pass in the form of a QR code.
With the opening ceremony just eight days away, the City of Light is transforming ahead of the Games, where over 10 million spectators are expected.
Temporary sports stadiums have sprouted up in popular spots like the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, and the Place de la Concorde, while new Olympic VIP lanes are the newest traffic-clogging addition.
“We’re entering a very operational phase of hosting the world’s biggest event,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters on Wednesday, outlining the Seine’s security precautions.
Many important Metro stations were also blocked on Thursday until the day following the opening ceremony, which will feature 6,000-7,000 athletes sailing down the Seine on approximately 100 barges and riverboats.
It will be the first Summer Olympics to begin outside of the main athletics stadium, with up to 500,000 spectators expected to watch from stands, river banks, and overlooking apartments.
The massive security operation for the opening ceremony has been causing senior police officers to sweat since it was announced in 2021, due to the difficulty of securing so many spectators in such a large, densely packed urban region.
Around 45,000 cops will be on duty for the July 26 parade, supported by 1,900 foreign police, 10,000 French soldiers, and hundreds of private security agents.
Tens of thousands of metal security barricades were installed along the opening ceremony path.
The concept for the Paris Games — of using the historic city centre as a backdrop for the sport rather than moving the events out of the city — has caused complaints and led many wealthy residents to flee.
“It’s true that our concept of having a large number of temporary sites in the heart of the city comes with constraints, but I believe people are seeing what we’re doing,” Paris 2024 director general Etienne Thobois told AFP last month.
Darmanin reiterated that French officials would be prepared to welcome spectators safely, adding that there was “no credible (terror) threat at this point.”
On Wednesday, a suspected far-right terrorist was arrested in eastern France after reportedly making threats against the Games in a Telegram phone group.
A man was also apprehended on Monday evening after stabbing an on-duty soldier at a Paris train station.
The first athletes will arrive at the newly built Olympic Village in a northern suburb of the capital on Thursday.
The complex, which consists of approximately 40 separate low-rise housing blocs, was designed to demonstrate modern construction techniques such as low-carbon concrete, water recycling, and reused building materials.
“The big countries will arrive on the first day, Great Britain, the United States, New Zealand, Brazil, and Switzerland,” Andre-Pierre Goubert, the French delegation’s deputy chairman, AFP reported.
AFP journalists witnessed members of the Argentine, Brazilian, and Kenyan delegations carrying luggage trolleys into the facility.
At maximum capacity, the community will accommodate 14,500 people, including 9,000 athletes.
The Olympics will be followed by the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.
