Paris Olympics organiser Tony Estanguet sees ‘difficult’ year ahead

PARIS – The chief organiser of the Paris Olympics, Tony Estanguet, admitted on Tuesday that the 12 months until the opening ceremony would be “difficult”.

Estanguet said though that there was no need to sound the alarm on the key issues of transport and security, despite several days of rioting and looting that rocked France in July.

“We know that the last year will be decisive, it won’t be simple... it will be a crazy year, a difficult year. But we have to stay calm,” he said at a press conference in Paris, just about a year before the Games open on July 26, 2024.

Despite the violence that flared in France after a 17-year-old was shot dead by police at a traffic stop, Estanguet said the issue of security was in hand.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on Tuesday he was sure the Paris Olympics would take place “in a peaceful environment”, even though much of the trouble flared in parts of the French capital where Games events will take place.

Bach said in a media roundtable that the IOC sympathised with those affected by the violence.

“At the same time, we can note that these riots were not related to the Olympic Games in any respect,” he said.

“We can feel the great support of the French people for these Olympic Games.

“So we are very confident that the Games can, and will, happen in a peaceful environment.”

In Paris, Estanguet said the issue of transport, which the French national spending watchdog has frequently warned is a concern, “is heading in the right direction”.

The contracts for bus transport for competitors and accredited officials have been allocated, for example.

“That gives me a lot of satisfaction, even if we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said.

Estanguet, a former canoeist with three Olympic golds, said the first two phases of ticket sales – criticised at times for prices that reached nearly €700 (S$1,042) for athletics sessions – had yielded €1 billion out of a target of €1.4 billion.

The organising committee was shaken in June when police raided its offices and the homes of two officials, chief executive officer Etienne Thobois and Edouard Donnelly, the executive director of operations.

Prosecutors are investigating the contracts awarded for the Games and potential conflicts of interest. Estanguet said he had “no new information” and that he and his colleagues were continuing to cooperate with investigators.

The Paris Olympics will run till Aug 11, followed by the Paralympics from Aug 28 to Sept 8.

Meanwhile, Bach said on Tuesday that athletes from Russia and Belarus should not be punished for the actions of their governments and be allowed to compete internationally as neutrals.

Asked about the participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Paris Games, Bach said: “We have a mission to unite all the athletes of the world in a peaceful competition... not to punish athletes for the acts of their governments.”

The IOC in March issued a first set of recommendations for international sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return since they were banned in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Bach said the IOC was in no hurry to decide on their participation, joking that the deadline was “before the Games”.

“It’s too early to draw final conclusions,” he said. “We will take our time. We want to be diligent and be as confident possible that we are making the right decision.”

AFP, REUTERS