Ahead of the Paris Summer Olympics 2024, set to begin officially on Friday, imminent security failures have come to the fore, casting major doubts over the concerns of the tournament which is spread over 16 days. While earlier on Thursday the Australian cycling team was robbed in Paris upon reaching the city for the Olympics, a drama unfolded in the football match between Morocco and Argentina when several Moroccan fans stormed the pitch, creating chaos and confusion as to whether the match was halted or completed. A similar controversy erupted after Canada’s women’s soccer team was involved in a spying scandal, forcing head coach Bev Priestman to step down.
The Paris Summer Olympics are set to officially begin on July 26 after the glittering opening ceremony; a few of the matches such as football, rugby sevens, archery, and handball began a couple of days before, amidst grave security lapses. Though France has assembled numerous police officials and armed forces to maintain security and the city of Paris has transformed into metal QR codes to avert any threats and danger, some of the recent incidents tell a contrasting story.
On the one hand, incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron cheerfully declared that the country is ready to host the Olympic games, on the other hand, shocking incidents have come to the fore raising doubts if the claims gain ground. In two different incidents, while two staff members of Nine Entertainment were attacked in what colleagues described as a suspected robbery of a “serious physical nature”, a 25-yr old Australian woman was reportedly gang-raped by 5 men in Paris just days ahead of the grand Olympics. The disturbing CCTV footage showed the terrified woman barging into a shop nearby and asking the staff for help, as reported by French Police. Following the incident, a travel alert has been issued for Australians to exercise a “high degree of caution in France.”
On Wednesday evening during a soccer match being played between Morocco and Argentina, chaotic scenes erupted after angry Moroccan fans stormed the pitch and threw bottles from the stand. The stewards had to literally escort fans out of the ground. The bizarre scenes led to confusion as to whether the match was halted or completed. At the same time, Argentina’s football coach, Javier Mascherano, alleged that during training the team was robbed. The coach claimed that one of the football players, Thiago Almada lost almost everything, including a watch and rings, when their training session was underway. BYTE: VIDEO 2: start to 0.27 Javier Mascherano, Coach, Argentina Football team
In another shocking incident, just moments after the Australian cycling team reached Paris for the tournament on Thursday, the team was robbed, with their traveling van being vandalized and their stuff being stolen. Instead of experiencing a warm welcome, the team expressed their anger over the security lapses. While some of the players got back their bags, some were left with nothing as their possessions were stolen.
Meanwhile, the Canada women’s football team assistant coach and a team analyst were booted out of the tournament on Wednesday after a spying scandal broke out. Canada’s head coach Bev Priestman has stepped down for the opening match against New Zealand, following allegations by the New Zealand women’s team that their training session was disrupted after a drone, being flown by a Canadian staff member, spied over them.
Nonetheless, France has reportedly deployed up to 75,000 police, soldiers, and hired guards on patrol in Paris at any one time, making it the largest peacetime deployment of security forces in French history. Additionally, roads and metro stations have been closed. Some 44,000 barriers have been erected. An elaborate system of QR codes has been set up for residents and others seeking access.
Comments