France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympic Games opening ceremony through the heart of Paris.
It is officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Some 45,000 police personnel, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff have been mobilised.
This will ensure the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments in an unprecedented display of security.
A procession of barges will take nearly 7,000 athletes along the river past Paris’s most famous landmarks, while more than 300,000 spectators will watch from the banks.
Since the last Olympics (the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022), wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense backdrop to the Games.
France is, however, at its highest level of security, even though
officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.
French authorities have ramped up security for the Olympics by placing 155 individuals under surveillance, utilizing powers granted by an anti-terror law. This move significantly limits their freedom of movement.
Furthermore, Israeli competitors will receive round-the-clock protection from elite tactical units, who will escort them to and from events.
The opening ceremony, expected to draw a large number of world leaders, will be secured by a network of rooftop snipers, ensuring a high level of safety and security.”
The Seine’s riverbed has been swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace will be closed.
For the Games, more generally, radar-surveillance planes and Reaper drones will watch sensitive sites from above.
Also, Mirage 2000 fighter jets will be on standby to intercept aircraft straying into restricted airspace.
”Everything is ready,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video he posted on X.
