D-100 before the Olympic Games

AFP

D-100 before the Olympics: a final stretch under tension

The flame is lit, the installations are ready and Paris continues its transformation 100 days before the Olympic Games. But concerns remain over the security aspect and President Emmanuel Macron has caused trouble by mentioning a possible withdrawal of the ceremony opening at the Stade de France. While the symbolic 100-day mark is crossed on Wednesday, questions persist about the capacity of public transport, which has been suffering for months, to digest the influx of seven million travelers expected over two weeks. Another uncertainty, the consequences of heightened international tensions, whether in Ukraine or the Middle East.Lighted Tuesday in Olympia, the flame began in Greece the journey which will lead it to Paris, via the Mediterranean , Marseille or the Antilles. The ambition to organize an opening ceremony on the Seine, outside a stadium, a first in history, was reaffirmed by the Head of State on Monday.  The work of the authorities is focused on this promised grandiose nautical parade at the foot of Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, with on-board athletes, more than 10,000 of whom will compete from July 26 to August 11. But Emmanuel Macron has relaunched speculation on its continuation in the event of an increased terrorist threat, ensuring that “plans B and C” were being studied, even evoking for the first time the hypothesis of a withdrawal – so far excluded by the authorities – in Stade de France. This scenario above all illustrates the nervousness around this ceremony, linked to the international context: the situation in the Middle East, with the war in Gaza and the recent attack by Iran on Israel, as well as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On Wednesday, British Olympic Committee president Andy Anson said he was “clearly concerned” about security issues surrounding the ceremony. “It’s one of the most important things we have to manage from a risk perspective,” he said in an interview broadcast by Sky News.- “Crédit de la France” -In France, the Plan Vigipirate was recently upgraded to the “Emergency Attack” level after the attack in Moscow on March 22 claimed by the Islamic State. “Clearly, the context is tense,” a security source confirms to AFP, while the minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra explained that no specific threat targeting the Olympics had been noted so far. “The scenario on the Seine remains absolutely dominant,” she reaffirmed Wednesday during a meeting with the athletes at the ephemeral Grand Palais. The president of the Olympic organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, said for its part displayed its “total confidence” in the authorities on the subject. To ensure security as best as possible, the size of the festival was reduced: the number of free spectators increased from 500,000 to 222,000. ;Including those who paid for their place at the bottom of the platforms, there should be around 320,000 in total. This is “probably not the last touch-up”, assures the security source. On the transport side, despite the mobilization on this key subject, the question of whether they will be ready to absorb the flow of Olympic spectators during the The summer continues. The Paris metro does not show any obvious signs of improvement and negotiations are still underway for compensation for employees who will be mobilized at the SNCF or the RATP. “If things went badly ( during the Olympics, editor’s note), we would damage the credit of France”, warned Jean Castex, the CEO of RATP and former Prime Minister. A fear also fueled by the threats of strikes, carried in particular by certain unions, and encouraged by the main left-wing opposition party (LFI). – Paris is transforming – On the airport side, at Roissy and Orly, the two main gateways to France for foreign delegations, the teams are preparing to welcome more than 60,000 accredited as of July 18, the date of the official opening of the Olympic village. Furthermore, for several months, associations helping vulnerable people have been warning about the fate of the homeless whose makeshift camps are being dismantled at a rapid pace. more sustained as the Olympics approach. On Wednesday, the largest squat in France, in Vitry-sur-Seine in the southern suburbs of Paris, which sheltered up to 450 migrants, was evacuated by the police . Shelter for displaced people – most of whom are legally in France according to the associations – must take place elsewhere in Ile-de-France and in the provinces, for example in Bordeaux (south-west). In the meantime, the capital is starting to adorn itself with the trappings of the Games. The first temporary Olympic installations are at the Trocadéro, at the Concorde or on the Champ-de-Mars. In terms of Olympic equipment, the train is following its route without pitfalls. The participation of the Russians could still be subject to change of direction. last minute but as it stands, some of them remain authorized to compete under a neutral banner and under strict conditions. They will not be present for the opening ceremony, just like the Belarusians, also excluded by the IOC. Their planned presence is contested by the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who assured that they were not ” not welcome” during a trip to kyiv. Emmanuel Macron told him of his conviction that Russia would try to disrupt these Olympics, an accusation refuted by Moscow. Cybersecurity is another major issue for the authorities.cto-dec/cpb/