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Paris Olympics 2024: Security tightens as the Olympic draws near

The XXXIII Olympic Summer Games will take place in Paris in 2024, from July 26 to August 11.

By Pushkar Pandey | Mar 12, 2024 | 3 Min Read

The 2024 Paris Olympic opening ceremony is going to be less expensive than originally planned, due to safety worries in the French capital. On a recent Tuesday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that the innovative open-air show, which is set to involve a procession floating down the Seine River, will host 104,000 paying guests along the lower riverbanks.

Additionally, 222,000 viewers will be able to watch from the higher banks at no charge, as reported by various news outlets. Nonetheless, these complimentary admissions will be by invitation only and not open to the public. To ensure safe control of the crowd, Darmanin has stated the necessity to limit the event to an invite-only basis, particularly in light of the recent threats of terrorism.

Entrances to the event will be allocated by quotas to certain residents from Olympic host towns, local sports groups, and selected individuals by the event’s organizers or their partners, according to the Associated Press (AP). While tourists won’t directly be able to request free tickets, sports groups may extend invitations to international guests as part of their given allocations.

The AP conveyed that all invited attendees will be subject to security screenings and will be provided with QR codes to pass through security checks. Initially, organizers anticipated a turnout of 600,000 spectators, but as per Darmanin earlier this year, the figure is projected to be reduced by half. In reaction to opposition from local booksellers who are a prominent feature along the river, French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew a plan to relocate their stalls for the ceremony.

2,000 private security guards in the Paris Olympics 2024

Darmanin didn’t pinpoint a specific threat but mentioned numerous dangers, including Islamic extremist factions, aggressive environmental protesters, far-right groups, and potential cyber-attacks from Russia or other adversaries. As shared by the Paris organizers in January, there will be about 2,000 private security guards in the venue’s seating areas close to the river.

Moreover, there will 45,000 security forces will patrol the broader perimeter — 15 times the regular police force for Paris’s historic district. Lambis Konstantinidis, Paris Games planning coordinator, stressed the preparedness for various security scenarios, highlighting that holding the event on the Seine was viable, with significant reassurances regarding the ceremony’s safety.

Despite potential security issues, contingency plans are in place, including alternate options like ‘Plan B’ and ‘Plan C’, as stated by Macron last December. The opening ceremony is expected to occur on July 26, featuring a 3.7-mile-long flotilla down the river. Participants will include delegations from 200 nations.

They will board 100 boats for a unique 45-minute journey starting near the national library, floating past landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre, through Paris’ renowned central gardens, culminating near the Eiffel Tower. This grand initiation will mark the first time a Summer Olympics kicks off away from a stadium setting.

Paris Olympics 2024 safety strategies were stolen at Paris railway station

Secret plans for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics’ security were swiped last Monday night at the Gare du Nord station. The AFPPolice shared that the theft happened when someone grabbed an engineer’s bag from a train. This engineer works for the Paris City Hall and had a laptop and two USB drives full of important security details in the bag.

He had put his bag up top and was going to switch trains because his train was late – that’s when his bag got stolen. The USBs had the local police’s security plans for the big upcoming Olympics. Now, the area’s transit cops are on the case, looking into the robbery. The 2024 Paris Olympics are going to have a lot of security – about 35,000 people every day, plus 2,000 city police officers just for the games, which run from July 26 to August 11.

The events are going to take place in various spots around Paris and nearby areas. According to the official website for the Paris Olympic Games, there will be 35 places where 24 Olympic sports will happen. Fourteen of these spots are super close to where the athletes will stay – just within 10 kilometers of the Olympic Village.