Preparations for the upcoming Paris Olympics gained momentum on Saturday, as security teams meticulously inspected the Seine riverbanks in anticipation of the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday. Additionally, high-ranking officials from the International Olympic Committee convened in the French capital for crucial discussions.
Law enforcement officers, accompanied by canine units,
conducted a thorough inspection of the designated six-kilometer (four-mile)
route along the Seine River in preparation for the upcoming ceremony. This
significant event is expected to feature approximately 6,000 to 7,000 athletes,
who will embark on nearly one hundred barges and riverboats, while an audience
of approximately 300,000 spectators is anticipated.
The French law enforcement agency will receive additional
support from international law enforcement colleagues, including those from
Spain, the United Kingdom, and Qatar.
On Saturday morning, a practice run for the event was
conducted on the river, with security barriers and law enforcement ensuring
privacy from both residents and the press.
The significance of the aquatic procession is immense;
marking the inaugural occurrence of the Summer Games' opening ceremony outside
of a traditional venue.
The arrangements for the event have resulted in significant
inconvenience for central Paris inhabitants, who are required to possess a pass
containing a unique QR code in order to traverse the Seine.
“We’ve had far fewer customers than usual for the last two
weeks. There aren’t many tourists and lots of Parisians have left town. All our
local clientele has gone,” said Behi Samadian, 69, in a boutique in
Saint-Germain-des-Pres.
Team delegations have commenced their check-in process at
the athletes’ village, albeit with certain delays experienced due to the global
IT outage that transpired on Friday.
“Like a lot of organisations, we suffered this global
Microsoft outage,” Games chief organiser Tony Estanguet told reporters on
Friday.
“All of our servers were affected this morning.”
Nevertheless, the accreditation systems were operational
once more come Friday evening. On a positive note for the organizers, the
ticketing systems remained unaffected.
Organizers have reported that 8.7 million tickets have been
sold thus far, surpassing the record set during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and
this number is expected to increase as tickets are still available for purchase
for some of the 45 sports.
Several athletes, such as American sprinter Noah Lyles, who
are anticipated to be prominent figures at the Games, will participate in their
last competition before the Olympics at the Diamond League event in London this
Saturday.
Friction over 2030 Olympics
The IOC’s top brass, led by President Thomas Bach, will meet
on Saturday to prepare for the larger IOC Session later this week.
Behind the scenes, the allocation of the 2030 Winter
Olympics to the French Alps—they are the only candidates—risks being delayed by
a row over the French government’s reluctance to give funding guarantees.
Russia's absence will be notable at the Paris Games, as only
15 Russians and 16 Belarusians have been accredited. The majority of sports
have distanced themselves from the Russians following the invasion of Ukraine.
The athletes eligible to participate in the Games had to
adhere to stringent neutrality requirements. However, Global Rights Compliance,
a human rights organization based in The Hague, revealed that a majority of the
Russian participants either openly supported Moscow's invasion of Ukraine or
had ties to the military.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated to AFP that it would refrain from
discussing specific instances on Friday.