PARIS: The jumping ambition of the Paris Olympics made them risky and difficult to politicise, but French security forces kept thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe – a “gold-medal” performance, according to the interior minister Gerald Darmanin.
The two-week sporting extravaganza that ended on Sunday saw a security operation unlike any other in recent French history, with around 75,000 police, soldiers and private security operatives mobilized on the opening night of July 26.
There have been incidents over the past two weeks — an attack on French railways, a pitch invader in the men's 100m final — but nothing that has affected the event as a whole, to the widespread relief of the organizers.
“These Olympics involve both big French medals and a big gold medal for the interior ministry and the security forces,” Darmanin said last week as he visited duty officers in Marseille, southern France.
The sense of satisfaction and self-congratulatory tone of his remarks reflected the immense pressure and doubts raised in the run-up to the Games about whether France's already stretched resources would be up to it.
Their first test was securing the Olympic torch relay, a journey through 450 French towns and cities as well as overseas territories.
Then came the surprise parliamentary election in July, followed by an unprecedented opening ceremony along a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the Seine, which has given planners sleepless nights since it was unveiled in 2021.
Police officers stand guard across the Seine River before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 26, 2024 in Paris. (AP)
In the end, the 300,000 ticketed spectators watching from the riverbank were disturbed only by the torrential rain, as the streets of the capital were flooded with uniformed officers.
“For those of us who have been here on the ground, we have seen the security footprint here. It's impressive,” said Nicole Deal, head of security for Team USA, on the day of the ceremony. “I've never seen (one) like this in any other Games.”
Two weeks of competition saw packed stadiums, with 743,000 people attending sporting venues on a single day on 30 July.
Other events from triathlon to marathon took place on the streets of the capital.
An estimated one million people lined the route of the men's and women's cycling road races on August 3-4.
“Without a doubt, the French security services deserve a gold medal,” French criminologist and university professor Alain Bauer, a vocal critic of the open-air opening ceremony format, told AFP.
He said it was due to “exceptional investment” and “essential changes” which saw organizers significantly reduce the size of the opening ceremony crowd under pressure from the Home Office.
After it was banned from the Games, French officials said Russia was plotting to destabilize them, with France's cyber security agency on high alert for attacks that could disrupt the organizing committee, tickets or transport.
The arrest of a 40-year-old man suspected of being a member of the Russian secret services on the eve of the Games has put nerves on edge.
The war in Gaza, threats from the Daesh group and France's history of homegrown Islamist terror plots and far-right extremism have also raised fears of the possibility of an attack that would ruin the party.
However, not everyone found the security operation something to celebrate.
Charities have complained loudly about police crackdowns on the homeless, sex workers and migrants ahead of the Games, while anti-Olympic protest groups say they have been prevented from exercising their democratic rights.
About 45 activists from the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion were detained by police the day after the opening ceremony as they prepared to occupy a bridge over the Seine River in central Paris.
The group “Saccage 2024”, which has been running so-called “Toxic Tours” highlighting the downsides of the Games, said it was prevented from guiding a group of around 20 people to the sites in northern Paris last week.
About 30 police officers and four police cars prevented the tour, and three members of the collective were taken to a local police station for questioning.
“No charges were brought against any of the people arrested at the end of the police custody, further evidence that this was in reality an attempt at intimidation,” the group wrote on Instagram.
