Macron said in an interview that instead of the teams sailing down the Seine on barges, the opening ceremony could be “limited to the Trocadero” building in front of the Eiffel Tower or “even moved to the Stade de France”.

The Paris organisers have devised a ceremony that is unprecedented in Olympic history as it breaks from the tradition of the Games opening in the main stadium.

But with the Olympics taking part with war raging in Ukraine and in Gaza, the ceremony also leaves teams potentially vulnerable to attack — French authorities have, for example, mentioned the possibility of an attack by drone.

So far, organisers have denied the ceremony on July 26 could be moved to a different venue if authorities believe there is a possibility it will be targeted.

“This opening ceremony… is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it,” Macron said in an interview with BFMTV and RMC.

But, he added, “there are Plan Bs and Plan Cs”,including moving the ceremony to the Stade de France to the north of Paris, the main stadium for the Olympics where the rugby sevens and athletics will be held.

The French President symbolically kicked off the countdown to the Paris Olympics this Monday, first with an interview on BFMTV and RMC at 8.20am, followed by a tour of the Grand Palais in Paris, which will host several events.

Macron was interviewed by journalist Apolline de Malherbe, surrounded by RMC’s Olympic advisors, former athletes David Douillet (judo), Marion Bartoli (tennis) and Rémy Boullé (paracanoe).

Moving the ceremony from the Seine would be a huge undertaking and would deprive the Paris Olympics of their defining image. “We will analyse this in real time,” Macron added.

More than 300,000 spectators are expected to be present for the ceremony, with another 200,000 watching from buildings along the Seine.

So far, all countries have said they plan to take part in the open-air river parade, including the most risk-averse such as the United States and Israel.

Three months before the opening ceremony and with international clouds gathering, two days after Iran’s attack on Israel. Macron said he wanted to “do everything possible to have an Olympic truce” for the Paris Games, despite the war raging in Ukraine and elsewhere.

“We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think this is an opportunity for me to engage with many of our partners,” he told BFMTV. The ceasefire is a historic tradition of peace during the Olympics.

The world’s most eagerly awaited event is taking place in a complex global context. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza are complicating efforts to secure the Olympics, which will be held in France from 26 July to 8 September and are expected to attract at least 10 million spectators. 

Source link