As it struggles with security worries around the historic open-air event, the French government said on Tuesday that visitors will not be permitted to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics for free beside the Seine River. Instead, free admission will be by invitation only.
A lavish opening ceremony was scheduled for July 26 for up to 600,000 spectators, the majority of whom would watch for free from riverbanks. However, due to security and logistical issues as well as a protest from the city’s charming quays’ booksellers, the government has gradually lowered its goals.
The total number of spectators was lowered to about 300,000 earlier this year. 104,000 of them will be paying ticket holders with spots along the lower riverbanks, while 222,000 will watch for free from the upper banks, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin’s announcement on Tuesday.
However, he stated that the free tickets would be invitation-only and not be made accessible to the general public through open registration as had been previously planned.
“We can’t tell everyone to come; we can’t control crowd movement,” Darmanin stated. “We are required to make it free but contained for security reasons that everyone is aware of, particularly the terrorist threat of the past few weeks.”
This implies that regular Parisians and visitors from other countries will not be able to register for free entry. Instead, according to two Interior Ministry officials, entry to the ceremony would be limited to a limited number of local sports federations, citizens of cities or areas hosting Olympic activities, and other people selected by the organizers or their partners. Ministry protocol prohibited the officials’ names from being made public.
After that, those who were invited will have to go through security checks and get QR codes to get past security obstacles.
For instance, according to Darmanin, local town councils are able to invite “their employees, kids from local soccer clubs, and their parents.” According to an Interior Ministry official, communities might “diversify” access by providing spots to those with disabilities or in need, and sports federations could invite foreigners as part of their quotas.
According to the official, the purpose of the modification was not to penalize tourists, and the Games are still more accessible than they have been in a number of years. An further 200,000 spectators are anticipated from within riverfront apartments or buildings, and roughly 50,000 from fan zones, according to Darmanin.
The people behind Paris 2024 declined to comment on the change, referring inquiries to the government. According to Darmanin, the decision was taken with input from the organizing committee, local authorities, and President Emmanuel Macron.
Darmanin stated that intelligence services had not discovered a specific plot aimed at the Olympics, despite France being on high alert. However, he acknowledged that there are other possible risks, such as cyberattacks from Russia or other enemies, violent environmental protestors, extreme right-wing organizations, and Islamic extremist groups.
France experienced deadly attacks in 2015-16 linked to the Islamic State group, targeting public venues like the Bataclan concert hall, and has experienced occasional extremist violence since then.
Intelligence services are examining 1 million individuals for Paris 2024, with 280 rejected due to police records or security issues out of 89,000 already conducted.
The Olympics opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium in Paris, with around 10,500 athletes navigating the city on boats along a 6-kilometer route.
Around 160 heads of state are expected to attend a 3½-hour ceremony in Paris, and the government will close all airports and airspace within a 150-kilometer radius.
Foreign police and 45,000 security force members will be deployed around Paris for the event, with discussions ongoing on boarding boats with athletes and carrying arms.
The government has yet to hire 10% of the private security personnel requested for the Olympics and Paralympics, according to Darmanin.
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