Macron swears the French to a “national mobilization”.
French President Emmanuel Macron
What: AFP/LUDOVIC MARIN
The plans for next year’s Summer Olympics are taking shape. In Paris, the opening ceremony will break with Olympic traditions, which will be a tour de force for the organizers – and for the state.
Rand 500 days before the start of the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the country for a “national mobilization” to make the big event a success. “These 500 days mark the beginning of a countdown to many arduous years,” Macron said in a video shared across multiple online networks. Especially with a view to the opening ceremony planned for July 26, 2024, numerous questions are still unanswered.
The celebration presents the organizers with challenges: the athletes are to go down the Seine in boats, and up to 600,000 spectators are expected to do so. “There has never been an opening ceremony like this before. But we can do it,” a senior official said recently. In fact, it is the first time in the history of the Olympic Games that the celebration will not take place in a stadium.
The organizers still have numerous problems to solve: How many boats can go down the Seine at the same time? Which nations are willing to share a boat? How can the spectators be distributed over six kilometers along the shore? And how do they get to the other bank in the end when the bridges are closed for logistical reasons and the subway stations are too small?
Olympic swimming competitions in the Seine
In addition, swimming competitions are to be held in the Seine in 2024. Macron outlined measures to improve the water quality of the Seine and Marne rivers. “The Seine and the Marne are being made to swim in,” Macron announced. This environmental campaign alone is expected to cost 1.4 billion euros.
“We will try to welcome the world in the best possible conditions. For the next 500 days, 45,000 volunteers will be mobilized to make these games a success – in terms of sport, gastronomy and art of living a la Francaise,” announced Macron
And then there is also the issue of security, which is of course highly sensitive in Paris due to several terrorist attacks in the past. For the opening ceremony alone, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wants to deploy 35,000 security forces. During the games it should be regarding 30,000 on average. Hiring of private security forces has been slow so far, which is probably due to the low salaries, according to organizational circles.
A total of around seven million spectators are expected to attend the Olympic and Paralympic Games, spread over 25 different venues. To get to the stadiums, spectators should only use public transport or bicycles – at least that’s the plan.
185 kilometers of lanes are also planned on the ring road around Paris and in the direction of the airport, reserved for delegations, organizers and journalists. People in wheelchairs can sign up for shuttle buses. A total budget of around 4.4 billion euros is planned for the games.
