Security Measures Trim Public Access to Paris Olympics Ceremony

The French government has reversed its initial plan to allow up to 600,000 people to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics for free, citing security concerns. Despite the country’s history of terrorist attacks, interior minister Gerald Darmanin emphasized the need to contain the event for security reasons. The government cannot “tell everyone to come” and manage the crowd movement, Darmanin explained, adding that the decision was made to prioritize the safety of the athletes and spectators.

The ceremony, which will be held along the River Seine, will now be invitation-only, with access allocated via quotas to select residents of towns hosting Olympic events, local sports federations, and others chosen by organisers or their partners. Those invited will need to undergo security checks and receive QR codes to pass security barriers. The measure is part of a broader effort to ensure the safety of the 10,500 athletes expected to participate in the event, as well as about 160 heads of state who will attend.

Intelligence services are conducting checks on about one million people due to take part in, work for or have access to Paris 2024, and 280 people have been rejected due to police records or other security problems. The Paris Olympics will be the first time an Olympics opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium setting, with athletes parading through the heart of the French capital on boats along a 3.7-mile route.

To further enhance security, the government will close all airports and airspace within a 90-mile radius around Paris before, during and after the ceremony. Around 2,500 foreign police will be among the 45,000 security force members deployed around Paris for the event, with discussions underway on whether they can board the boats with their countries’ athletes and what arms they will be authorized to carry. However, hiring and training enough security personnel for the Olympics has proved challenging, with about 10% of the private security personnel the government requested yet to be hired.