During the 2024 Olympic Games, travel will be limited in Paris. To move around in certain areas, you will need a QR code. Problem: the sun makes it impossible to scan when it is displayed on a smartphone…
Rail problems, risk of attack, high ticket prices, scams, requisition of student housing – some of which is unsanitary –, damaged seabeds, eviction of homeless people, high price of public transport tickets – which were initially supposed to be free… The least we can say is that the Paris Olympic Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024, are far from being unanimous! Overall, mobility in the capital and its surrounding areas is likely to be highly complicated, especially with the millions of tourists expected.
Also, for security reasons, motorists and pedestrians will not be able to move freely in certain areas of the capital and in Île-de-France this summer. Only people with an exemption, to be presented during checks, will be able to avoid this ban. This Olympic Pass comes in the form of a QR code to be obtained through a dedicated platform (see our article). A device that is, to say the least, restrictive and greatly frustrates the inhabitants of the City of Light. And it looks even more complicated than expected since they had the unpleasant surprise of finding that these QR codes, when displayed on smartphones, were simply unreadable for the authorities because of… the sun.
Unreadable Olympic Pass: Who could have predicted sunshine in July?
After a rainy and grey June and early July in the Paris region, the sun finally seems to be making a comeback! A parameter that had clearly not been taken into account when setting up the control system. On Thursday, when the first security perimeter was set up on the banks of the Seine, 44,000 Pass Jeux were checked by the police. However, as reported by The Parisianmany police officers were unable to scan Olympic passes due to the sun. Even with the phone’s brightness set to maximum, the devices were impossible to use! This greatly annoyed the authorities, who instead had to check the identity of passers-by using their ID card, to be sure that it matched the one on the pass. A much more time-consuming process, which led to long queues. The less fortunate who did not have their ID on them were unfortunately turned away.
Faced with this problem, which is likely to recur in the coming weeks, the police are advocating a paper version of the Olympic Pass to local residents. “In case of strong outdoor light and especially when the phones are set to moderate brightness, Pass readers read the Games Pass less easily”recognizes the Paris police prefecture to Le Parisien. “In order to avoid the QR Code not being read under these conditions, it is advisable to increase the brightness of the phones during presentation so that the Games Pass is visible and readable. Furthermore, it is also possible for users to print their Games Pass to physically present it at the controls.”
This is not the only problem that was not anticipated by the organizers of the Olympic Games! The system set up for event tickets is also facing some difficulties. In addition to the presence of particularly sophisticated scams, the official Paris 2024 Tickets application, which hosts the electronic tickets, is incompatible with old smartphones, forcing some future spectators to have to purchase a new phone if they want to enjoy the show (see our article). That’s promising!