France’s president Emmanuel Macron has said that the Olympics opening ceremony could be less than it would have been otherwise due to worries over a possible attack from the Islamic extremist terrorist group ISIS.
The Paris Olympics are set to open Friday, July 26.
Macron said that that the event might be shifted from the original plan using the River Seine. Instead, the cermoney would move to the national stadium after threats from the terrorist group.
ISIS Olympics Concerns
The French president said that instead of teams sailing down the Seine, the Olympic event in July could be “limited to the Trocadéro” or “even moved to the Stade de France” as a “precaution.”
“We will analyse this in real time,” Macron said.
The U.S. Sun reports, “The move follows threats made by ISIS against Champions League matches held in London, Madrid and Paris last week. France has already raised its threat level to the highest after the Moscow terror attack at Crocus City Hall on March 22 that left 144 dead. ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based splinter cell of the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the barbaric massacre.”
The organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics broke with tradition with an unusual opening ceremony outside a stadium setting.
An estimated 10,500 athletes will move through the French capital on boats on the Seine.
Before, officials had denied the July 26 ceremony would be moved to a different venue if threats emerged.
The Show Must Go On
“This opening ceremony… is a world first,” Macrons declared on Monday. “We can do it and we are going to do it.”
But Macron added, “there are Plan Bs and Plan Cs.” He also said he would do “everything possible” to have an Olympic truce during the Games. “We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners,” he said.
As far as truces go, that doesn’t extend to Russia – whose athletes are banned from the ceremony along with Belorussia.
The IOC – International Olympic Committee – are allowed to watch the event, but not take part. Russian and Belorussian athletes are also banned from team sports.
The Sun notes, “Over 104,000 spectators are now expected to watch the parade from the waterfront and another 222,000 watch from bridges and streets. The French government also decided that tourists won’t be given free access to watch the opening ceremony because of security concerns.”
“It comes as Europe is on high alert in response to mounting threats from a resurgent Islamic State.”
