Deadly attack worries Paris 2024 plan

It was an unprecedented decision to host the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics outside the secure confines of a stadium, and now the French government is insisting there is no Plan B despite a recent deadly attack in the French capital amplified existing security concerns.

With the ceremony to be held on the River Seine, Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera noted how the plan could still be adapted within the idea of the river flotilla while safety agencies contend the ceremony could be vulnerable to attack.

A man known to the authorities as a radical Islamist with a knife and hammer killed a German tourist and left two people wounded on December 2, close to the Eiffel Tower by the River Seine in what prosecutors are investigating as a suspected act of terror. The attack occurred on the Quai de Grenelle – a spot included in the Opening Ceremony plans.

The Opening Ceremonies plan is for a flotilla of boats to proceed along the Seine from Austerlitz bridge in the east of Paris to Iena bridge in the west carrying athletes, delegations, and officials. The culmination of the ceremony would then take place in front of the famed Trocadero Gardens across the river from the Eiffel Tower. – Full report

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 (41)
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 (41)
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 (19)
Men’s Skiff – 49er (20)
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX (20)
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class (20)
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class (20)
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFoil (24)
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFoil (24)
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 (19)
* Quota per event in parenthesis but does not include Universality Places (2 men, 2 women)

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9

Details:
• Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Sailing microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/