PARIS – The chief organiser of the 2024 Paris Olympics insisted on Jan 10 there were no plans to move the opening ceremony of the Games from the River Seine, amid ongoing speculation about the hugely ambitious water-based show.
After months of denials that contingency plans were being put in place, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked new doubts in December when he said there was “obviously a Plan B, a Plan C” for the opening ceremony on July 26.
But Tony Estanguet, who heads the Paris Olympics organising committee, stressed that there would be no change to the location for the ceremony.
“Today, with the artistic director for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, we are working on an opening ceremony on the Seine. Our teams are not working on any other location,” he told France Inter radio.
French security services have consistently raised doubts about having the parade on the river in the heart of the City of Light, citing the difficulty of securing such a large area and the risk of a terror attack or stampede.
With sporting delegations set to sail along the river in a flotilla of around 100 boats, it will be the first time the opening ceremony has taken place outside the athletics stadium in Olympic history.
But some media reports have speculated that the ceremony might simply be downgraded in the event of a major terror threat, with the number of spectators limited or just performers, not athletes, permitted to take part.
As many as 45,000 members of the French security forces will be deployed during the Games alongside tens of thousands of private security guards, but there is always a risk.
The River Seine is also set to be at the heart of the action during the July 26-Aug 11 event, with authorities rushing to clean up the waterway so it can host the open-water swimming competition and the swimming leg of the triathlon.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo promised that she would take a “historic dip” in the Seine before the start of the Games to draw attention to how the river is now suitable for bathing two days out of three on average in the summer.
“Everyone said it was impossible and we’ve done it,” she told reporters at City Hall.
Poor water quality forced the cancellation of three swimming test events last July and August, however, and authorities still have thousands of new sewer connections and key storm-water infrastructure to finish in the next months.
Estanguet said in December that 84 per cent of the Paris 2024 sporting infrastructure had been finished and that organisers were on track to deliver “spectacular Games” for the expected 10,000 athletes and millions of spectators.
In other Olympic news, former French national basketballer Emilie Gomis was stripped of her role as a Games ambassador over a controversy linked to a social media post about the Gaza war, Paris 2024 organisers said.
On Oct 9, two days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, Gomis posted an Instagram story which showed maps of France being gradually covered by the flag of Israel, with a question that read: “What would you do in this situation?”
Critics accused her of supporting Hamas’ attack, which she strongly denied.
Paris 2024 has said it wanted a joyous and safe Olympics for all, and organisers are worried that the event could get caught up in politics amid continuing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and France’s own internal security challenges.
AFP, REUTERS
