Paris will not be ready for Olympic and Paralympic Games regarding the transportation and reception of homeless persons, as stated city mayor Anne Hidalgo. “There will be places where (public) transportation will not be ready because there will not be enough trains and not enough frequency,” Hidalgo told the news program ‘Quotidien’, in an almost uncovered criticizing the president of the Paris region, Valerie Pecresse.
Hidalgo said the government was also “somewhat” responsible for the situation, adding: “But we are doing this together, so it worries me too.” The Socialist mayor declared that the Porte Maillot RER (regional fast train) station, in the west of Paris, will not be ready for the Games from July 26 to August 11. However, Pecresse wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter : “We will be ready. It is a great collective effort that should not be denigrated by an absent mayor.”
Hidalgo added, another important issue is the situation of the homeless in the capital. “I don’t want to take them out and hide them at the Games. There should be a social legacy. We want to enable housing where they can be this winter and we are discussing it with the regional and State authorities and we all agree that we must move forward, but we are not ready,” he said.
Other hidden dangers
On the other hand, terrorism and cyberattacks are the two main risks facing the 2024 Games, with a potentially very public opening ceremony, but organizers are confident they are ready to face the challenge next year.
Paris 2024 is launching the third of four waves of tenders for private security, which will result in the presence of between 17,000 and 22,000 officers a day, including 2,000 for the opening ceremony, which will form a long parade by the River Seine at that time. possibly 600,000 people will attend. There will also be 30,000 police and soldiers to protect the area on July 26.
“For the opening ceremony there is a specific protocol with the State and the Paris City Council. We are sure that we are on the right track, that we will achieve our goals,” Paris 2024 Security Director, Bruno, told the press on Thursday. Le Ray.
He added that the security budget of 320 million euros ($349.02 million) has not changed. “The first risk is the terrorist. We have included it, unfortunately, in all security plans,” said Thomas Collomb, executive director of security for Paris 2024.
Last week, Paris 2024 called for vigilance after French security services said they had uncovered a disinformation campaign from Azerbaijan aimed at undermining the French capital’s ability to stage the event.
In January, France’s top audit body warned that the opening ceremony on the Seine River posed a “major challenge”, raising concerns over relying on private security operators to protect the Games.
“I think something will always go wrong, but the question is are we ready for something to go wrong. There are concerns about drones, terrorist groups, inevitably something will go wrong when an event like this is held in an open place. space,” he added. .
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
