France is preparing unprecedented security measures ahead of its Paris Olympics opening ceremony next month.
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A senior French Army commander told the AP that Fennec helicopters will patrol the French capital and protect the air space on July 26, when the Olympic Games with a ambitious ceremony which is proving to be a huge security challenge.
For security services, the unprecedented decision to parade thousands of Olympic athletes Of nails 200 delegations in more than 80 ships along a stretch of 6 kilometers from the Seinefrom the Austerlitz Bridge to the Iéna Bridge, in front of a crowd of 320,000 peopleit’s a major challenge. Some will be deployed 45,000 members of the security forces and airspace and all airports within a 150 kilometer radius around Paris will be closed for the show.
Tickets will be free for some 220,000 invited and supervised spectators, who will watch from the upper levels of the river banks. Around 100,000 spectators who have paid for access will watch from the lower river bank and around Trocadero Square, where The parade will end looking towards the Eiffel Tower.
The organizers hope that the show program will leave a indelible mark on the enormous global television audience and demonstrate French savoir faire. Their objective, they say, will be to show the inheritancethe history and the creativity from France.
The outdoor plan is maintained
Paris police chief Laurent Núñez said in April that the parade route would take place within a high-security zone described as a “anti-terrorist perimeter“, which would include the first row of buildings along the route.
Anyone who wants to enter the area in the eight days prior to the ceremony and on July 26 must register in advance online and will be “systematically” subjected to security background checks, known in France as an “administrative investigation,” Núñez said. .
The French Government also decided that tourists will not have free access to watch the opening ceremony for security reasons. On the other hand the access it will be alone by invitation.
Security concerns led French President Emmanuel Macron to say in mid-April that the ceremony could be moved to France Stadium if the threat level was too high. But French authorities said Monday that the events of the big day will continue as initially plannedwithout alternatives having been prepared at the moment.
There will be a final rehearsal, involving the entire fleet of boats, before the opening ceremony, which is expected to attract 100 world leaders on the banks of the Seine.
“We will give our hearts and souls to make it a great success for the French people“said French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on Monday.
