Photo : Collected
France will be ready to host the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, which is set to take place along the river Seine, despite the high risk of terrorist attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday (4 April).
Last week, French radio station Europe 1 reported that French security services had recommended that the parade of athletes on the Seine be canceled amid the high terrorist threat level. However, the French Foreign Ministry later told RIA Novosti that the country's security services had dismissed any concerns about the opening ceremony, despite media reports to the contrary.
"Unfortunately, France has been faced with a terrorist threat for several years now. We know that. Sometimes, it comes from the outside, sometimes from within ... We have increased our vigilance and raised the terrorist threat level following the terrorist attack in Moscow. We will be ready," Macron told reporters during the opening of a water sports center near Paris.
The French authorities are preparing several "backup scenarios" for the opening ceremony should the circumstances change and the threat level rise, although the parade on the Seine remains the preferred option, Macron added.
The French leader also accused Russia of taking unfriendly actions, including information-wise, against the upcoming Olympics. Moscow allegedly promotes narratives that France is failing at organizing the games properly, Macron said.
Macron also reiterated his February promise to swim in the Seine despite public concerns about the water's quality.
In 2023, a test swimming competition on the Seine was canceled due to doubts about the water quality.
"I am not in the habit of joking about such things," the French president said when asked whether his February statement was a joke.
Swimming in the Seine was banned in 1923 by decree of the prefect, mainly due to the rapidly deteriorating quality of the water. The Paris Olympics are set to mark the resumption of swimming in the Seine, which is scheduled to host triathlon and open water swimming competitions.
After the deadly assault on the Crocus City Hall venue near Moscow in March, the French authorities raised the terrorist threat level in the country to the highest.
The Summer Olympics are due to take place from July 26 to August 11 and the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8 in Paris.
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