Over the past two years, Olympic organizers have expressed concerns over the security of the event. The concerns grew after the chaotic events at the Champions League final at Stade de France.
Police tear-gassing and frustration at Liverpool supporters were the organizers’ fault, two French senators emphasized. Co-founder of the enquiry, Laurent Lafon said that these dysfunctions were at every level, not only during the implementation but also during preparations.”
The incident brought concerns over next year’s Rugby World, which France will host. These concerns about the Olympics led the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, to set a clear roadmap for the newly appointed Paris police chief, Laurent Nunez.
An estimated 13 million visitors and over 15,000 athletes competing increased anxiety over security operations.
A government source said to AFP(Agency France-Press) that the disastrous sequence of events in the Champions League will stick to them like a plaster up to the Olympic Games. The biggest security headache for the organizers has been the Opening Ceremony down the Seine on July 26.
Over 180 boats will be traveling down the Seine, through the heart of the City of light, and an estimated 600,000 spectators on the banks. A government source expressed their concerns by saying that they are not ready at all. If a drone drops grenades onto the crowds below, there is no knowledge on how to neutralize them.
“It is the magnitude of the crowds spread out over the banks of the Seine, which is the problem,” the source added.
Olympics Will Deploy 24,000 Officers
According to a police source, it would require 7,000 officers, which have been impossible to gather. They have also failed to hire the 24,000 agents needed for the games. Bernard Thibault, a member of the organizing committee, revealed to AFP in mid-April, saying, “We do not have the numbers.”
However, it was brought to notice that several hundred French Interior investigators will be watching out for potential attacks.
Furthermore, an Olympic intelligence center has been set up according to the 2018 Olympic Law, to combat any risk of an attack.
