1.The Olympic Games begin in Paris on Wednesday, followed by the official opening ceremony on Friday, when competitors will parade on boats along the River Seine. The French government has promised an “unprecedented” security operation to guard the Games.
When are the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games?
2.The summer Olympics run from 26 July to 11 August, with 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events. The Paralympics take place from 28 August to 8 September, featuring 4,400 athletes in 549 events. There will be 206 countries represented at the Olympics, and 184 at the Paralympics.
Where will Olympic and Paralympic events take place?
3.The main athletics events will be at the Stade de France, on the northern outskirts of Paris. There are also Olympic and Paralympic venues in the city centre. The Pont d’Iena, for example, is hosting cycling events, while beach volleyball is at the Eiffel Tower and the marathon starts at the Hotel de Ville and ends at Les Invalides.
Is the Seine clean enough for swimming?
4.Open water swimming and triathlon events are due to take place in the Seine, more than 100 years after swimming in the river was banned. Tests done in mid-June showed that levels of E. coli in the water were 10 times the acceptable level. However, Games organisers hope July sunshine and measures like a rainwater storage basin will make it clean enough. On 17 July, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip to try and prove the river was safe.
How are France’s security forces preparing for the Games?
5.Paris 2024 organisers say the Games will be protected by an “unprecedented” security operation. Between 35,000 and 45,000 security personnel will guard venues, and police the Olympic opening ceremony. It is the first time in the history of the modern Olympics that this type of parade has been organised.
6.The original plan was to give free tickets to 600,000 members of the public to watch from the river’s banks. However, the government was worried about potential threats such as a drone attack, and spectator numbers were scaled back to 326,000.
7.More than 220,000 of those will be invited guests, and 104,000 will be members of the public who have bought tickets. An “anti-terrorism perimeter” alongside the Seine in central Paris means the 20,000 people who live and work there must have passes to enter.
8.Intelligence services uncovered two plots against the country by suspected Islamic militants in early 2024. In May, a man was detained on suspicion of planning an attack on the torch relay in Bordeaux, and another man was arrested in southern France over a plan to attack an Olympic football venue.
How much are the Games costing?
9.The cost of this year’s Games is estimated to be about 9bn euros (£7.6bn), less than any of the previous four Games – in Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, London and Beijing. Much of the funding is coming from private companies, ticket sales and sales of broadcasting rights. The government’s official auditors have said it may have to pay between 3bn and 5bn euros (£2.5bn and £4.2bn) for costs such as policing.
