In Paris, it was fashionable to complain about the arrival of the Olympic Games and their series of concerns, to say, according to the phrase heard a thousand times, that “we will run away from the capital”. In the last few days, the mood has changed. “We are bombarded with requests for invitations or accreditation,” says Eric Lejoindre, 18’s mayor.edistrict Many people tell us that…
In Paris, it was fashionable to complain about the arrival of the Olympic Games and their series of concerns, to say, according to the phrase heard a thousand times, that “we will run away from the capital”. In the last few days, the mood has changed. “We are bombarded with requests for invitations or accreditation,” says 18-year-old Mayor Eric Lejondre.e district Many say they hope these games will do us good, putting aside the heavy political context. In short, enthusiasm is starting to grow.
44,000 grills
Long abstract and overshadowed by the dissolution of the news, the great Olympic meeting has been concretely embodied in the daily life of Parisians since mid-July. In a light way, through many posters around the city. Or in a much less cheerful, but very impressive way, through the emergency security system deployed to protect the banks of the Seine, as if “in a cage”.
44,000 gates have been erected to severely restrict access to platforms and nearby tracks. “Grey” and “red” zones have been created, which are accessible only after the presentation of the QR code and a systematic search. 12 metro stations are closed since July 20. Only five bridges out of about twenty remain open to traffic.
The capital is divided into two parts. It is highly recommended to avoid the river area. In the rest of the city, life is almost normal, except that since Wednesday, the noise of helicopters has become more and more frequent.
30,000 policemen and gendarmes will be mobilized every day during the games. This number will increase this Friday evening 45,000 policemen. Never seen before in Paris. Also on deck for the ceremony were approximately 2,000 private security agents, 1,000 city police and a contingent of 10,000 military personnel.
Snipers on rooftops
Snipers will be stationed on rooftops along the Seine to neutralize any gunmen targeting the crowd. All trucks were checked by bomb disposal dogs. Finally, flights are prohibited from 6:30 p.m. to midnight this Friday. the authorities have decided a “temporary prohibited zone” for air traffic within a radius of 150 km around the capital.
“Tragedy could always happen, it would obviously be terrible, but it’s a very unlikely scenario given the large number of measures taken to secure the site and all the work going on upstream,” Ann Hidalgo said Wednesday.
The police headquarters judges that the lack of incidents during the two months of the fire road, in particular. At his reception in Marseilles, an estimated 150,000 people, bodes well. This Friday, ticketed spectators are advised to arrive early before the ceremony, which starts at 7.30pm, will be able to enter the site from 3.30pm after ID and bag screening.