France has witnessed several nights of violence since a policeman shot dead teenager Nahel M. during a traffic stop. Amid the chaos and destruction caused by the riots, people are questioning the safety of Olympic venues. Is France ready to peacefully welcome the 15 million tourists expected to arrive for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, held from July 26 to August 11 and August 28 to September 8? France’s ability to host major events has recently been called into question over the crowd management failure at the 2022 Champions League final at the Stade de France.
With the opening ceremony just one year away, the question is at the forefront of people’s minds since the aquatic center in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris region), which will be used as a training pool during the Paris Games, was slightly damaged during the early hours of Friday, June 30. The flames from a dozen buses burning in the RATP depot located next to the pool turned the aquatic center’s facade black and a few windows were shattered. "But this should not impact its delivery schedule," explained Stéphane Troussel, the Socialist president of the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council, with the opening planned for spring 2024. This incident will also not lead to any significant additional costs.
While the other Olympic sites remain unaffected for now, the public is still worried since many of the infrastructures, including the Olympic Village and the Olympic aquatic center, are located in the middle of the neighborhoods that were set on fire. However, public authorities are not worried. "As part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have taken steps in recent days to step up the security of infrastructures," said Sports Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on July 3, on the sidelines of an event on violence in sports, according to reports by Agence France-Presse.
Although Paris officials are "concerned" about the violent situation in France over the past few days, they are "not worried" about possible knock-on effects on the Olympic Games. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo’s team downplayed the situation at a Monday event outlining the torch route through the capital. "The social and societal impact is quite concerning, but the Games are still a year away. We must not confuse deadlines," said Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy mayor of Paris, bringing up the "longstanding tradition of Olympic truces." "There is a security risk, and we’re managing it (...) but we have to stop focusing on that. (...) Our country is used to hosting events in the best possible way," he added.
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