France – The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are just six months away and the countdown is on to get everything ready in time, from logistics and security to transport and construction. But will the French capital be ready? FRANCE 24’s Katrine Lyngsø went to find out.
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Olympics organisers and French authorities have been sending mixed messages about the state of ongoing preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, sparking doubts and making headlines about whether Paris will successfully pull off hosting the Games.
French President Emmanuel Macron admitted in December that authorities were preparing “a plan B [and] a plan C” for the opening ceremony, just in case it can’t take place on the River Seine as planned.
But Paris 2024’s director of planning and coordination, Lambis Konstantinidis, told FRANCE 24 that preparations for the ambitious ceremony are going as planned despite complex logistics.
“Clearly, what we’re trying to do for the Paris Games is a fairly unprecedented project that requires a lot of studies and a lot of people involved. Obviously, it will be ready when the time comes, but not before.”
Konstantinidis said the contingency plans put in place in collaboration with the French interior ministry gives organisers confidence that they will be able to deliver the opening ceremony and Games that they have “dreamed of”.
Police protest Olympics plans
The Paris region’s police force will be boosted from 35,000 to 73,000 officers to ensure security during the Olympics.
But France’s police unions have already been leading “Black Thursday” protests, denouncing the conditions under which they will be working and the lack of bonus pay. Unions say there is a lack of organisation and information about security measures from the interior ministry.
“We’re six months away from the Olympic Games and even the police officers don’t know what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it, or where they’re going to go. It’s about time the [Macron] administration gets organised,” said Fabien Vanhemelryck, secretary general of the Alliance Police Nationale.
Construction largely on time, under budget
Some €4.4 billion has been earmarked to build new housing, stadiums and other sport venues for the event. The company in charge of all Olympics construction, SOLIDEO, said it had completed 84 percent of the work by December 31. With 59 out of 62 construction sites running as planned, SOLIDEO said “deadlines were met and budgets were kept”.
A public transport headache
Some 15 million spectators are expected to attend the Olympics in the City of Light, which will put major pressure on Paris’s metro and rail networks. Mayor Anne Hidalgo warned in November that the transport system “will not be ready and there will not be enough trains”.
The capital’s transport infrastructure is already under huge pressure, with commuters and tourists alike complaining of limited frequency, overcrowding and uncleanliness.
“I don’t think the metro will really be ready because there are still a lot of problems and a lot of work on the lines,” said Philippe, one Paris resident. “I don’t plan to take public transport during the Olympic Games because I think there will be too many people.”
While only one of the six new metro lines will be ready by July, the Paris region transport authority will provide a navigation app to help visitors find the best routes and manage the increased influx of people on each line.
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