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About 2,000 foreign troops to help France secure Paris Olympics

Some 2,000 foreign troops and police will be sent to Paris to bolster security for this summer's Olympic Games as France remains on high alert following attack threats, the French armed forces minister said Friday.

Published: 13 April 2024 08:35 CEST

Pedestrians walk past closed-off construction works with the Eiffel Tower in the background at the Champ-de-Mars that will host the beach volleyball competition event during the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic

Pedestrians walk past closed-off construction works with the Eiffel Tower in the background at the Champ-de-Mars that will host the beach volleyball competition event during the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on April 12, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

“We have something like 2,000 foreign police officers, gendarmes and troops who will be joining the protection system for the Olympic Games,” Sebastien Lecornu told all-news television station LCI.

France, which will host the games from July 26 to August 11, has raised its security alert to the highest level after a Moscow concert hall attack claimed at least 144 lives on March 22. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the massacre.

The minister said the reinforcements would provide “specific functions” in short supply, including dog handlers, horse riders and mounted patrols.

READ ALSO: Factcheck: Which areas will be closed in Paris during the Olympics?

In late March, Poland said it would supply troops with an emphasis on sniffer dogs for bomb detection and counter-terrorism operations. It did not specify the number of troops.

Nearly 45,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised in the Paris region for the opening ceremony July 26, which in breaking with tradition will be held along the Seine River instead of the main stadium.

During the games themselves, 18,000 French military troops will be deployed, including 3,000 responsible for aerial surveillance — in addition to about 35,000 police and gendarmes.

READ ALSO: Paris bosses ‘confident’ that Seine will be clean enough for Olympic events

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France bids final farewell to Olympics with Champs-Elysees parade

The final event of an acclaimed summer of sport saw tens of thousands of fans gather on the French capital’s most famous avenue to applaud and cheer the nation’s new sporting heroes.

Around 70,000 people gathered for the parade featuring athletes, volunteers and public sector workers, which was followed by a multi-artist concert on a spectacular stage around the Arc de Triomphe.

“Saying thanks, not just to the athletes but to everyone who made these games magic, I think it’s fabulous,” said France’s most-decorated track athlete, Marie-Jose Perec, who lit the cauldron at the start of the Games on July 26.

“It’s a beautiful way of saying goodbye because everything must come to an end and tonight it will all be over,” the visibly emotional 200m and 400m triple gold medallist told reporters as she arrived.

Around 4,000 police were called out for a final test, having won almost almost unanimous praise for the way they kept around 12 million ticket holders for the Olympics and Paralympics safe.

After months of gloom and self-doubt in the run-up to the start of the Olympics, Parisians and the country at large threw themselves into the spirit of the Games once the sport began.

They embraced new champions such as triple gold medal-winning swimmer Leon Marchand while finding fresh reasons to celebrate veterans such as judoka Teddy Riner who won his fourth Olympic title.

“Thank you, thank you, it’s been incredible!” Riner shouted to the cheering crowd.

He, Marchand and Rugby Sevens star Antoine Dupont were among more than 100 French medal winners who were awarded the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian award, in a ceremony at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe led by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The French team finished the Olympics with a record medals haul of 64, including 16 golds, securing fifth place on the international table.

The Paralympic Games from August 28-September 8 were hailed as “the most spectacular ever” by the head of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons.

Escapism

Analysts say the Games served as a form of escapism for many French people worried about the direction of the country as well as generating a rare form of national union and pride.

“Everything worked, everything functioned and French people rediscovered the virtues of national cohesion,” the head of the French Olympic Committee, David Lappartient, told reporters.

Macron is seeking to take advantage of this more positive mood, having faced widespread criticism for his decision to call snap parliamentary elections in June which blindsided Paris 2024 organisers.

The vote resulted in a hung parliament and historic gains for the far-right National Rally party.

Instead of making a speech, he recorded a poetic voiceover over images of the Olympics and Paralympics, saying it was “a summer that had already become part of French sporting legend.”

The 46-year-old was the main instigator of Saturday’s event, which was not originally part of the Olympic or Paralympic programme.

The centrist has also announced his intention to create an Olympics-inspired “national day of sport” every year on September 14.

“We need to spend time together at a day of sport, which would take place in the street, schools, in dedicated sports centres,” he told the Parisien.

Saturday night’s concert featured singer Chris, formerly of Christine & the Queens, who performed at the Paralympics opening ceremony, as well as blind Malian duo Amadou & Mariam among others.

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