Paris Olympics organizers say ‘we are ready’

PARIS: Paris Olympics chief Tony Estanguet said on Sunday the city was “ready” for the Olympics as he played down complaints from some residents and businesses about the impact of the Games.

“We are ready to enter the final phase,” Estanguet told a news conference in Paris five days before the military parade opens next Friday.

He added: “As long as the closing ceremony is not over, we have to remain vigilant. But today we are in a situation that we could only dream of a few years ago.”

Finishing touches are being put on venues across the City of Lights, thousands of athletes and officials are streaming into competition venues and the weather is starting to clear up after months of rain.

In further encouragement for organisers, the water quality of the Seine, which will be used for the Games’ outdoor swimming events, has also improved significantly since early July.

Estanguet added: “All indicators for the Seine are positive at the moment.”

The Yangtze River Three Gorges will host an opening ceremony next Friday, with 6,000 to 7,000 athletes competing on 85 barges and boats along the river.

It will be the first time the Summer Games are held outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 300,000 ticket holders expected to watch from the stands and on the riverbank, and another 200,000 expected to watch from the overlooking flats.

Estanguet said there are still about 4,000 tickets available for sale.

Estanguet added: “We have tried to keep our ambitions as high as possible so that these Olympics can be a great occasion for France.”

The deck of the Aranui 5 cruise ship hosts surfers before the opening ceremony. —AFP

– “destroy” –

However, the massive security operation required for the opening ceremony has caused some friction, with large parts of central Paris along the riverbank and around the Olympic venues off-limits to most people.

Industry groups representing Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs complained on Friday they were facing an “unprecedented drop in business and footfall” and blamed part of it on “strict security measures”.

“We made a completely conscious choice that the success of Paris 2024 meant that the Olympic Games would take place in this city,” Estanguet explained. “This is an unprecedented concept for Paris 2024.”

In addition to the opening ceremony in the city center, most of the events will be held in temporary venues around Paris, such as beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, archery at Les Invalides, and skateboarding at the Place de la Concorde.

“We can’t do this without some disruptions. We can’t do this without some restrictions,” Estanguet said. “We try to anticipate those restrictions and communicate them long in advance.”

He thanked “those who understand this because it is really a tribute to our country in the most beautiful way.”

– Comprehensive security –

Around 45,000 members of the French security forces will be on duty when the Olympics open at 7:30 pm (17:30 GMT) on Friday.

“Safety is the top priority for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Estanguet said.

Cybersecurity is also a major concern, with a global IT outage last Friday caused by a CrowdStrike software update that temporarily disrupted the Olympics certification system.

The International Olympic Committee said it is prepared to respond to disinformation attacks against the sporting event following a recent series of incidents launched by Russia.

With Russia and its allies banned from most sports due to its invasion of Ukraine, only 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians were accredited to compete as neutrals.

“Obviously there is some form of activity going on,” International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Saturday.

“This is not the first or last time the IOC will be the target of disinformation attacks. The attacks are becoming more sophisticated.”

Adams was responding to questions about a feature-length fake documentary coming out in 2023, Olympics Are Down, which used AI-generated audio to impersonate Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

The film falsely claims to be a Netflix documentary, and its purpose is clearly to undermine global support for the Olympics.

Elsewhere, the star-studded U.S. men’s basketball team narrowly escaped a crushing defeat to South Sudan in a friendly match in London on Saturday.

LeBron James scored the decisive point with a layup with eight seconds left to secure a 101-100 victory at the O2 Arena.

“It ended well for us — we just wanted to get a feel for it, get a feel for what it’s like to be in Paris,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said.

“It’s a good reminder that when we play our teams, it’s the most important experience of their lives and we have to expect everyone to play like that.” — AFP