Paris, which should be full of festive mood, is restless.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held on the Seine River, a famous place in Paris, France, on the 27th (Korea time). The opening ceremony will be the first in Olympic history to be held in a water march. Unlike the previous method in which the team entered the Olympic Stadium, this time the players pass leisurely over the Seine River, which is a symbol of Paris, by boat. The team's water and ship march will be held in a 6km section from the Osterlitz Bridge near the Botanic Gardens to Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower. It passes through the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Paris City Hall building, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Concorde Square, and the Grand Palais to reach the Eiffel Tower.
France, which hosts the Summer Olympics for the third time in 100 years after 1900 and 1924, added meaning with its ingenuity to hold the first-ever outdoor opening ceremony. Concerns were constantly raised about the possibility of terrorism and accidents, but President Emmanuel Macron "At first, it seemed like a nonsense and a non-serious idea, but now is the right time to make it a reality.", pushing the outdoor opening ceremony with great enthusiasm.
Eventually, concerns on the day seem to become a reality. According to the AP and AFP news agencies, a series of fires believed to be arson occurred on major railway lines such as the French High Speed Train (TGV). This damaged railway operating facilities and cut off power supply. The fire disrupted not only local cities such as Lille, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg, but also the transportation network connecting Britain and Belgium. There were no casualties, but rail operations were canceled in many parts of France, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.
Tensions have risen in Paris and France since the opening day of the Olympics due to concerns about 'systematic terrorism'. The Paris Olympic Organizing Committee also canceled a press conference on the opening ceremony scheduled for this morning. All key figures related to the opening ceremony, including Tony Estange, chairman of the organizing committee, and Thierry LeBull, event director, decided to attend, but it was not held in the end. It is said that it has become difficult to hold a press conference at the main press center as Chairman Estange and others have to stay at the event site for a last-minute inspection.As security concerns did not subside until the last minute, it seems that they decided to focus on site inspection.
French police have launched an investigation into the arson, while deploying more police troops to major train stations. However, so far, no signs have been found to confirm whether it was a direct attack targeting the Olympics. "The evidence we have shows that this was a deliberate attack," French Transport Minister Patrice Bergreiet told a news conference. "Everything points to arson, the time of the situation, the incendiary devices found at the scene, the fleeing vehicles." Sports Minister Amelie Udea Castera said on TV that "we are trying to assess the impact on travelers and athletes (in the Olympics) and transport all delegations to the stadium on time."
The opening ceremony will be held as scheduled. To make matters worse, Paris is even raining. The weather was also down 20 degrees. Sports Minister Amelie Udea Castella appeared on BFM television earlier in the day, where the team that organized the opening ceremony envisioned various scenarios"I won't ruin the festival." "We have prepared for all possibilities, including tremendous heat waves and rain," Commissioner Estange said in Anter, France"The opening ceremony is planned to be held even in rainy conditions." He was confident of his success.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
