IN THE EVENT OF A TERROR THREAT, THE PARIS OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY MAY BE MOVED

“If we think there are risks, depending on our analysis of the context, we have fallback scenarios. There are plans B and C and we are preparing them in parallel,” said Macron in a television interview on Monday (Apr 15). 

Notably, the organizers have planned a ‘world first’ opening ceremony, scheduled for July 26, when over 300,000 people are expected to watch an armada of boats carrying national teams down the river. 

“We’ll be analyzing the situation in real-time and preparing a ceremony that would be limited to Trocadéro, where we wouldn’t use the whole of the Seine, or even a ceremony that would bring the public to the Stade de France, which is what has been done traditionally,” Macron said. 

“What the terrorists want is to prevent us from dreaming, and that’s their greatest victory,” he added. 

 Macron’s statement comes in the aftermath of last month’s Moscow music hall incident, which put France on maximum security alert.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks and has lately threatened to strike sites hosting UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matches, including Paris Saint-Germain’s game versus Barcelona at the Parc des Princes.

Furthermore, the French president’s admission comes after Olympic authorities stated that there was no backup plan for the opening ceremony.

According to reports, a security perimeter and a red zone will be established eight days before to the opening ceremony. Throughout the Games, up to 30,000 police and gendarmes (paramilitary officers) would be on duty each day. There will also be 20,000 private security personnel on duty.