A total of almost 50,000 volunteers work at the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, but the competition organization does not pay for their accommodation.
PARIS.
The atmosphere was enthusiastic when tens of thousands of volunteers gathered for the first time at one of the future venues for the Paris Olympics, the La Défense arena, located on the west side of the city.
Director of the Olympics Tony Estanguet emphasized their importance.
– Together we are the most important link on which the final success of the Games depends, Estanguet said.
About 300,000 people applied to be Olympic volunteers, of which about 45,000 got a place.
Among other things, the volunteers guide people at the competition venues and in public transport in Paris. One of them is a law student Julienne Lecomte.
– I’m really excited! I work as a volunteer in my volleyball club and I thought participating in the Olympics would be a great experience. This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, says Lecomte.
He says that the application process took almost a year and included many stages.
A hotel night in Paris costs close to a thousand euros
Julienne Lecomte lives on the west coast of France in the town of Saint-Nazaire, from where she travels to Paris for the summer.
– Fortunately, my grandmother lives in Paris and I can spend the night at her place during the Olympics. Arranging accommodation is really difficult for many out-of-towners, so many tourists come to Paris, Lecomte said.
Almost 50,000 volunteers are needed for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, who have to pay for or organize their own travel and accommodation. The competition organization’s decision has attracted criticism, as hotel and rental prices in Paris have skyrocketed for the summer.
The prices of Airbnb apartments have almost doubled, and a three-star hotel can cost close to a thousand euros per night.
The authorities are interested in the use of Olympic funds
At the same time, Olympic boss Tony Estanguet’s annual salary of 270,000 euros has been in the news, which aroused the interest of the authorities.
The AFP news agency reported in February that investigators specializing in financial crimes were investigating the ambiguities related to the payment of Estanguet’s salary.
The use of Olympic funds has been the subject of interest of the authorities in the past. Last summer, French police raided the headquarters of the Paris Olympics. It was related, among other things, to suspicions of misuse of public funds.
Ordinary Parisians are more interested in the games than the commotion
Ordinary Parisians are not surprised by Kohut. They are more interested in the impact of the Games on moving around the city.
– Politics is like that, nothing new under the sun. I’m interested in the effects of the Olympics on Paris traffic, not so much in the bosses’ messes, says a Parisian Jonathan Behar.
He vows to leave town for the Games.
A Parisian man who professes to be a sports fan Vincent Maciegewski on the other hand, he believes that the race will erase the problems at least for a while.
– Once the Olympics start, the irritation will be forgotten. We welcome the international competition tourists, and everything will work out in the end, Maciegewski states.