Xinhua News Agency, Paris, July 26. Question: Countdown to the second anniversary of the Paris Olympics: After romance, it is more necessary to deal with practical challenges
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xiao Yazhuo and Hu Xue
On July 26, 2024, the 33rd Summer Olympic Games will be officially opened in Paris, the capital of France. At the important time point of the two-year countdown, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee announced the slogan of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games – the Olympic Games are more open. (Games Wide Open).
Whether it is the official promotional video or the interpretation of this slogan by Paris Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Estanguez in an interview, they all reveal the French people’s grand vision for this Olympic Games – more open, more inclusive, and breaking the boundaries These barriers and restrictions have brought an unprecedented innovation to the Olympic Movement.
The opening ceremony on the Seine, the sports park at Place de la Concorde in the city center, and the integration of the competition venue into famous attractions, all these unconventional ideas all show the romantic temperament of the French.
However, following the romance, there are practical problems to face following all. As the Paris Olympics is approaching, various problems including security risks and budget overruns have become increasingly prominent, becoming a severe test that the organizing committee and even the French government must face.
The UEFA Champions League final held in Paris at the end of May this year was delayed by 36 minutes due to the chaos of fans entering the stadium before the game. The mutual accusations between the local police and fans following the game attracted attention, which further raised concerns regarding the security of the Paris Olympics. concerns regarding the problem. After all, the Olympics are much longer and involve a much larger scale than a football match. In particular, the opening party on the banks of the Seine, which is planned to be attended by 600,000 people, has become the focus of everyone’s worries.
Just one day before the countdown to the second anniversary, French President Macron convened a number of senior government officials from relevant departments and the head of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee for an offline meeting. One of the focuses of the discussion was how to deal with security issues during the Olympics. . According to French media, the French government does not even rule out that the army will eventually be mobilized to maintain order at the opening ceremony and prevent accidents from happening.
Specific to the event period, the French government may postpone a number of sports events and cultural activities, including the Tour de France, and give priority to ensuring the security force needs during the Olympics. French Interior Ministry officials said in an interview on the 26th that the number of police officers involved in security work will reach 11,000 every day.
Undoubtedly, the corresponding increase in the security force will bring another problem – the increase of budgetary cost. In recent months, there have been rumors that the French government will levy an “Olympic tax” to deal with the budget overrun of the Olympic Games. Although President Macron has recently denied this rumor, it still cannot dispel all parties’ concerns regarding overspending on the Olympic Games. ‘s concerns.
The budget of the Paris Olympics consists of two parts – one part is regarding 3.87 billion euros for the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee’s expenses, the source of this cost mainly includes subsidies from the International Olympic Committee, commercial sponsorship and ticket revenue; and the other part is regarding 3.2 billion euros will be handed over to an organization called the Olympic Engineering Delivery Company (SOLIDEO), which is responsible for the construction of Olympic-related venues and infrastructure.
At present, due to the rising price of manpower and raw materials caused by inflation, the problem of budget overruns faced by venues and infrastructure construction will be more severe. How to ensure the on-time delivery of all venues and infrastructure while keeping the expenditure within a reasonable range will test the wisdom of all parties involved.
For the modern Olympic movement, Paris is an inescapable city. It is the birthplace of Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympics. The Olympic Games were held here twice in 1900 and 1924.
After a hundred years, the Olympic Games will return to the “romantic capital”, and it is inevitable that people have extraordinary expectations for this Olympic Games. The Paris Olympic Organizing Committee hopes to use the Olympic Games to show the rich historical and cultural heritage of Paris to the world. Just as the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Estanguet said, the Olympic Games should be integrated into the magnificence of Paris, and this is also a plan that is unpredictable. The inspiration behind.
The ideal is very plump, but the reality is very skinny. For the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee and even the French government, the preparations for the next two years will be challenging.
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责编：刘希尧 ]
