2024-04-19 03:01:00
France would move the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics to a stadium only if there was a significant security risk, as this would mean scrapping the parade along the Seine River and limiting the ceremony to speeches, Sports Minister Amelie said. Oudea-Castera.
The official explained in radio statements that there was “no specific terrorist threat” for the July 26 ceremony and that the celebration of the event in the Seine remained “the central stage”, but France had prepared alternative plans if necessary. .
Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the threat of terrorist attacks, led the French Government to raise its security alert to its highest level this year. “If there were (the probability) of an absolute disaster, one can imagine a ceremony strictly limited to protocol,” Oudea-Castera said, restricting it to official speeches at the Stade de France stadium.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he was confident the planned Games ceremony, with large crowds around the Seine, where some 160 boats would set off for a 6-kilometer course, would be a great success. However, plan B would limit the ceremony to the Place du Trocadero, in front of the Eiffel Tower, which, according to Oudea-Castera, would preserve its “artistic dimension.” Plan C would be to move the event to the Stade de France stadium.