Macron warned against the threat of Russian “disinformation” about the Olympics.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned this Thursday of the threat of Russian disinformation during the Paris Games, At the same time, he assured them that they are ready to face it and confirmed that there are alternatives for the inauguration ceremony, although it is still a priority to do it over the Seine.

“I have no doubt” that the Games will be a target for Russia, “including in the field of information,” Macron said during the inauguration of the aquatic center, the largest sports project built for the Olympic Games in next summer.

Russians “feed doubts about what we can or cannot do. This is a risk. So we must be strong. Strength, self-confidence, the connection with reality, is the power of a democracy and the great nation,” he added.

Macron deemed “ridiculous” insinuations by some Russian officials that France could be behind the attack on Moscow on March 22 and called it “false information that goes hand in hand with the escalation of the threat.”

“Information manipulation is part of the war arsenal used by Russia,” he insisted.

Faced with this threat, Macron assured that they maintain maximum vigilance, but warned that concern should not lead to paralysis.

“The best way to take risks is to do nothing. But that is not France’s project,” said Macron, who assured that the alert will be maximum from the arrival of the Olympic torch on May 8 in Marseille until the ceremony. closing of the Paralympic Games on September 8.

Regarding the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, scheduled for July 26 in the Seine, the president said that it continues to be a “privileged” option, although he reiterated that they have others in case the terrorist threat makes it advisable .

“If the threat changes, we have other reserve options. But the dominant one is the one we are preparing for, the one we assume and want, the one the organizers are planning,” he assured.

Macron also responded to sectors of the extreme right in France that criticized the possible presence of the Franco-Malian artist Aya Nakamura at the inauguration ceremony and, without confirming it, assured that the artist will have “all her space” at the event.

“His music resonates with many of our compatriots (…) If he is part of the cast, it is good, the opening ceremony must show what France is and he is part of French culture. For my part , I will not go to the artistic choice, but I will defend the freedom to choose artists who represent France in all its diversity,” he said.

Macron spoke at the inauguration of the Aquatic Center, a wooden building resembling a wave rising next to the Stade de France. “This is proof that France knows how to keep its promises.”

It is the largest sports infrastructure built by the organizers, who boasted that it was 95% in place when Paris received the order for the 2024 Games. Macron said the building is an example of France “delivering infrastructure on time and within budget” , despite the Covid crisis, the war in Ukraine and inflation, and invited a comparison with the economic ” detours” that have occurred in previous Games.

The aquatic center, which will host diving events, synchronized swimming and the water polo classification, will cost 188 million euros and is an innovative building, both for its design and its ecological components. Under the largest convex wooden roof in the world, according to its architects, the center will have a capacity for 5,000 spectators and will be the largest swimming pool in France, which until now has not had more than 1,000 seats . This will allow the country to host the European Swimming Championships in 2026.

Its unique profile will be one of the most characteristic of the Games, which will hardly provide new constructions as it relies on existing ones, starting with the nearby Stade de France in Saint Denis, where the athletics will be held.

A 100-meter walkway over the highway will allow walking between both centers, which has significantly increased the budget, but Macron specified that it was not exceeded, due to the decision made four years ago ago to change the venue of the swimming trials.

Initially, they will take place in a temporary tent located next to the aquatic center, but to limit costs, they will finally take place in the Arena de La Defense, the Rugby stadium of Racing 92, the largest covered stadium in Europe, which will have a capacity for 20,000 spectators during the Games.