Security to be stepped up following stadium invasion

PARIS: Paris Olympic organisers said they would step up security at the Games and ensure guards were always available and well-trained following a pitch invasion at a football match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday.

An incident in which security guards chased fans during the opening match of this football tournament at Stade Saint-Etienne did not cause a major safety risk and organisers said lessons would be learned.

“We are not downplaying the events of yesterday,” Olympic security director Bruno Le Ray told reporters. He also said that the Saint-Etienne stadium has easier access to the venue than other stadiums, so there will be additional staff and crowd barriers for upcoming games.

LeRay said the average 17,000 agents will have access to about 40 competition venues and about 100 non-competition venues, such as the Olympic Village, training facilities and hotels.

On the busiest days, that number rises to 22,000 employees. Staffing levels depend on the sport, with large team sports deploying more than 1,000 agents, but individual sports such as track and field only having a fraction of that number.

Le Ray said that while police would be responsible for security outside Olympic venues, security inside the venues would be the responsibility of organizers, who have signed contracts with more than 110 security companies.

He said hiring enough security personnel had been a challenge at recent Olympics, particularly since the coronavirus outbreak, with many seeking work elsewhere.

To reduce the risk of absenteeism (sometimes 10% to 30% of employees don’t show up for work), organizers asked companies to hire 15% more deputies.

He acknowledged that organizers had difficulty finding enough female staff to screen female audience members but said technology would help.

“Using metal detectors, male security personnel can control female spectators without touching them,” he said.

Equipment such as barriers, cameras and detectors account for nearly half of the 320 million euro ($347 million) security budget for the Paris Olympics, with the rest mainly going to staff.

($1 = 0.9210 EUR)