Emmanuel Macron chaired, Monday, July 25, at the Elysée, an Olympic and Paralympic council to ensure the good level of preparation for the Paris Games, two years from the sporting event.
With the approach of the planetary meeting, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the Head of State wanted everyone “measures the rather exceptional importance of what the Olympic and Paralympic Games represent in France by their scope, their audience, their social, cultural, economic impacts, in particular on the image of the country in the world”, said the Elysée to Reuters. Fourteen ministers took part in this council, as well as the prefects concerned, the interministerial delegate Michel Cadot and the chairman of the Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet.
After the Court of Auditors expressed concern in a report about the state of preparation for the Paris Olympics, the president “much insisted” pour “to do, within a balanced budget, things that live up to the ambitions that we have collectively set for ourselves”. “We must accelerate or in any case continue to maintain the current speed, and anticipate any form of crisis and possible threat”while worried voices were raised after the security fiasco of the final of the Champions League football, at the Stade de France, on May 28.
“The Games budget will be kept”
On the financial side, the provisional cost of the Games reaches 8.3 billion euros, against 6.8 billion presented during the bid phase. The budget of the Olympic facilities delivery company (Solideo) is estimated at 4.3 billion euros in the projected budget for 2024. That of the Organizing Committee is around 4 billion, financed by private revenue (ticketing, partnerships , by-products, etc.).
Subsidies from the State and local authorities, which amount to approximately 1.7 billion in total, including inflation, are currently 17 million higher than forecast, “which testifies to the seriousness of the forecasts and the good control of this budget envelope”underlines the Elysée.
To correct the discrepancies anticipated by the authors of various reports, the authorities hope to activate various levers, such as the search for new partnerships and the reduction of the period of availability of competition sites, which would make it possible to lower the amount of compensation for loss of ‘activity. “The Games budget will be kept”assumes the presidency of the Republic.
17,500 security guards
With regard to the delivery of the venues – 95% of which are existing or temporary – the progress of work on the twenty-five works in progress is in line with the agreed program, which essentially provides for the construction of an Olympic village and an aquatic center.
Regarding security, 17,500 agents will be needed to transport 800,000 people to the sites every day (200,000 accredited and 600,000 spectators), which requires a training and recruitment program, according to the Elysée. The necessary manpower, all needs included, is estimated at between 22,000 and 25,000 security guards per day.
The armies will also be involved: the national navy will take part in the nautical events in Marseille and Tahiti and the air force will carry out anti-drone surveillance. The “Sentinel” operation will be strengthened, as will cybersecurity measures.
A “popular ticket office” with seats for less than 50 euros
On the transport side, the Games must coincide with the extension of metro line 14 towards Saint-Denis-Pleyel in the north, and Orly in the south. A thousand taxis will also be made available to people with reduced mobility.
In terms of jobs created, the threshold of one million hours of work provided to people in integration has been crossed. Around 1,500 people, 47% of whom come from Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest and youngest department in France, have benefited from it so far. The “popular ticket office” implementation plans to provide 50% of the tickets at less than 50 euros, some of which at the limited rate of 24 euros.
The Olympic flame, which should cross a large part of France from mid-April to July 26, 2024, will arrive in Paris for the opening ceremony planned on and around the Seine, while that of the Paralympic Games is scheduled instead. of Concord. Regarding security, the expectations of the police headquarters and the Ministry of the Interior for these two shows “Lead us today to be completely reassuring and to rule out any hypothesis that would require a plan B”assures the Elysée.
The Olympic Committee has also unveiled the slogan of the Paris Olympics, Monday. At the end of a short video of one minute and thirty seconds, it is displayed as follows: “Let’s open the Games wide”.
An invitation to the whole world to come and experience new emotions together! You are 1’30 min away from… https://t.co/A415hEYv51