A total of “
600,000
” people will be able to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games which will take place on the Seine in Paris, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday.
The lower quays of the Seine will be accessible to “
100,000
” paying spectators, the upper quays will be free to “
500,000 people
”, detailed Mr. Darmanin.
He specified that a “
compulsory free ticket office
” would be set up to control the number of spectators on the high quays and distribute them along the Seine.
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An important safety device
Heard by the Senate's Culture and Laws Committees, Mr. Darmanin added that the opening ceremony alone would mobilize "
35,000
" internal security forces on July 26, 2024.
The organizer, he continued, "
must also guarantee 3,000 private security agents
" for the ceremony and the city of Paris has a target of "
3,000 recruitments
" by 2024.
Overall, for the duration of the Olympic Games, Mr. Darmanin explained that security will be provided by “
on average 30,000 police and gendarmes per day
”.
For Ile-de-France alone, between "
12,000 to 45,000 internal security forces
" will be necessary "
depending on the day
", during the duration of the tests from July 26 to August 11.
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Some events canceled
The Minister of the Interior repeated that during this period there would be "
no holidays
" for the personnel of the Ministry of the Interior.
“
It goes all the way
,” he said.
He warned that cultural and sporting events would be "
cancelled or postponed
" during the games, such as the Tour de France or the Lille clearance sale, scheduled during the Paralympic Games period (August 28-September 8).
“
We are not going to cancel all the events
,” he said.
The Minister of the Interior also announced that the areas of competence between the police and the gendarmerie will be abolished during the Olympics.
Mr. Darmanin reaffirmed that 25,000 private security agents would also be needed to complete the gaming security system.
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He mentioned the 2023 Rugby World Cup which will be "
a dress rehearsal
" for the Olympics, and will require the mobilization of "
7,000 police and gendarmes per day
".
