PARIS: The Paris Olympics' jumping ambitions have made the competition risky and difficult to control, but French security forces managed to keep thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe, in what was a “gold medal” performance, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
The two-week sporting extravaganza, which ended Sunday, prompted a security operation unprecedented in recent French history, with some 75,000 police, military and private security personnel deployed on opening night on July 26.
There have been incidents over the past two weeks, such as the French railway attack and the trespassing of the men's 100m final, but none of them have affected the overall competition, much to the relief of organisers.
“This Olympics brings many medals for France and many gold medals for the Ministry of the Interior and the security forces,” Darmanin said last week while visiting officials in the southern French city of Marseille.
The sense of satisfaction and self-congratulatory tone of his words reflected the enormous pressure and doubts that arose before the match about whether France's limited resources would be up to the task.
Their first test will be the certification of the Olympic torch relay, which will travel through 450 French cities and overseas territories.
Then came the surprise parliamentary elections in July, followed by an unprecedented inauguration ceremony on a 6-kilometre (4-mile) stretch of the Seine that has kept planners up all night since its 2021 launch.
Police officers stand guard over the Seine River ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26, 2024 in Paris. (AP)
Ultimately, the more than 300,000 spectators who had purchased tickets for the match sitting on the riverbanks endured heavy rain, while the streets of the capital were filled with uniformed police officers.
“For those of us who have been on the ground, we’ve seen the security measures here, and it’s impressive,” Nicole Deal, head of security for Team USA, said at the ceremony. “I’ve never seen security like this at any other sporting event.”
The two-week tournament saw stadiums packed with people, with 743,000 people visiting the stadium on a single day on July 30.
Other events, from triathlons to marathons, take place on the streets of the capital.
More than one million people lined the men's and women's road cycling race routes on August 3-4.
“The French security services undoubtedly deserve the gold medal,” French criminologist and university professor Alain Bauer, who criticized the official opening ceremony, told AFP.
He said it was due to “extraordinary investment” and “necessary changes” that led organisers to significantly reduce the size of the opening ceremony crowd under pressure from the Interior Ministry.
After being eliminated from the Games, Russia has been accused by French authorities of planning to destabilise the Games, with France's cybersecurity agency monitoring any attacks that could disrupt organising, ticketing or logistics.
The arrest of a 40-year-old suspect by Russian intelligence before the Games has raised concerns.
The war in Gaza, the threat from ISIS and France's history of planning domestic Islamic terrorism and far-right extremism have also fueled fears of a possible attack that could destroy the party.
However, not everyone finds this security move something to celebrate.
Charities have complained fiercely about police use of force against homeless people, sex workers and migrants ahead of the Games, while anti-Olympic protesters say they are being prevented from exercising their democratic rights.
Police detained about 45 activists from the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion on the day after the opening ceremony as they prepared to occupy a bridge over the Seine in central Paris.
The “Saccage 2024” group, which runs so-called “toxic tours” to highlight the negatives of the Olympics, said last week it was banned from taking a group of about 20 people to locations north of Paris.
About 30 riot police and four police cars blocked the march, and three members of the group were taken to a local police station for questioning.
“None of the arrested individuals were charged at the end of the police detention, further evidence that this was in fact an attempt at intimidation,” the group wrote on Instagram.
