In Marseille, on May 8, 2024, the Olympic flame will begin its journey on French soil. The first bearer of the flame will be French swimmer Florent Manaudou, Olympic swimming champion, crowned in 2012 in London.
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With the start of the flame’s journey, it’s a bit like the home stretch for the organization of the Paris 2024 Games. Between now and July 26 and the opening ceremony, there is still work to be done to ensure that these 33rd Olympic Games are a success, while Paris was designated during the 131st IOC session in Lima. , in Peru, September 13, 2017.
Among the ongoing projects, the question of the cleanliness of the Seine remains one of the priorities for the organizers. Star of these Games, the river which crosses the French capital will host the opening ceremony, the triathlon and marathon swimming events. The current mayor of the capital Anne Hidalgo made a commitment in 2016 that swimming in the Seine would be possible, making it a pillar of the application file for the organization of the Games. She plans to swim there in June.
Address the security issue as quickly as possible
Another hot spot is security. The opening ceremony ” will be unforgettable for the athletes and everyone will be safe », assured the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach.
On the front line during the Olympic Games, private security companies are still in limbo as the event approaches: some are still looking for agents while those who are better staffed fear having to compensate. the shortcomings of others “. Less than a hundred days before the start of the competition, 8,000 security agents are still missing, according to the federation representing the sector. The needs have been estimated at up to “25,000” to secure the sites or fan zones. If this deficit remained the same in three months, “ we would have a real organizational problem “, Pierre Brajeux, president of the Private Security Federation, told AFP. For several weeks, however, the State and the organizing committee, in conjunction with France Travail, have been casting a wide net: 7,500 agent positions were still offered at the Games employment forum in April.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has just announced that he has assigned 1,900 border guards to reinforce Paris airports. The construction of a military camp on the outskirts of Paris for 5,000 soldiers participating in securing the Olympics has begun. In total, 18,000 soldiers will participate in security for the Olympics.
In the meantime, the organizers continue to carry out full-scale tests on the various competition sites. The brand new Saint-Denis Aquatic Center will host its first competitions from May 3 to 10. The ideal opportunity for athletes to get their bearings in real conditions. For the organizers, it is a question of making the final adjustments to the enclosure nestled a stone’s throw from the Stade de France. The mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo inaugurated, on Tuesday April 30, the Vallerey swimming pool, site of the exploits of American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller during the 1924 Olympic Games, after renovation work for which it will serve as a training location.
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