S.Kannan in Paris
An overdose of security before a major sporting event never does any good. It was possible in the good old days to have measures not so stringent, not now, when war — Russia vs Ukraine and Israel vs Palestine — has made it so hard for the organisers. The situation is the same for Paris 2024, with a superb opening ceremony planned for July 26, Friday.
Security measures in Paris have been bolstered and as the big day nears, the situation is getting worse for the locals. “We have lived in Paris all our lives and to suddenly become prisoners of sorts is awful,” said David, who works in a motel. He has travelled the world, been to Manchester for academics and juggles between two jobs. “I travelled to Brazil as well, when they hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014, but the security was never so crazy,” said David.
David’s view is not a case in isolation. On Wednesday, there was again a bomb scare near the Eiffel Tower, where two reporters of RevSportz, who had gone to check out the place for reporting, were shocked to see cops swing into action. Apparently, a car was lying parked on the road for a long time, an inordinate one, and the cops thought it could be a bomb threat.
What followed was drama, where the two reporters watched the police in action and also saw what could possibly be in store. To be eye witness to anything like this at the Olympics was indeed nerve-wrecking for the duo from Kolkata. This is no blowing a story out of proportion. Security and any such alert have to be taken seriously.
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🚨 NEWS
Bomb threat and every detail that transpired around Eiffel Tower premises two days ahead of the #Paris2024 opening ceremony! @RohanDC98 @TrishaGhosal @BoriaMajumdar #OlympicGames #Olympics #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/1rbggcRWyc
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) July 24, 2024
If this was just one incident, it can be passed off as stray. No, the Eiffel Tower, steeped in history, has faced many more scares like this before.
Aligning with David’s thought on security and how the soul of the Olympic Games is being robbed, Natasha, who has made Paris her home, decided in 2023 she would leave Paris during the Games. The common man is not too keen on facing hassles during the Olympics, what with cafes, restaurants and pubs blocked in many areas near the river Seine. “I think people have also decided this is a good time to be away and tour some other country,” said Natasha. She says she will watch the Games on television from the USA.
Ideally speaking, an Olympic host city is supposed to be buzzing with life. But then, when security becomes a pain, locals want to run away. Yes, for the tourists and sports lovers from overseas who are trickling into Paris, they are ready to face the restrictions. How it will pan out on Friday is not clear when the opening ceremony is held. Be sure, with security personnel coming in from so many countries, getting close to the view points to see national teams arrive in boats along the Seine may not be possible.
“I feel a security overdose cannot be avoided. We saw how even during the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, there were email threats on terror,” said Sanjay Singh, who lives in Paris. He feels Europe is no longer so free like before and even during the Euro 2024 football competition, security measures were tight in Germany. Of course, an Olympics is altogether different.
The world is watching Paris. Those who want to avoid the glare have decided to stay away. But then, this is not the first time it is happening. Modern editions of the Sumer Olympics have become so hard to deal with on so many fronts.
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