PARIS:
With less than eight months to go before the Paris Olympics, organizers and the French government are entering an awkward period in which rifts in preparations are straining relations.
The main areas of concern are environmental issues surrounding the Tahiti surf spot, the safety of the unprecedented opening ceremony on the Seine, the efficiency of public transport in the Paris region and, of course, the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The anger and frustration that has blanketed commuter travel in Paris over the past 18 months has spilled over into the political arena.
In mid-November, the city’s Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city’s transportation system “would not be ready” for the summer of 2024.
True, perhaps, but not diplomatic, and it angered the government.
Transport Minister Clement Beaune admitted “there is still work to be done” while accusing the mayor of “political treason”.
Valerie Pecresse, who is president of the Paris region and therefore responsible for wider transport issues, was upset when she announced that the price of metro tickets would double during the Olympics to four euros ($4.30).
The Paris city council has now called for a review of the fares.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Jean Castex, now in charge of Paris’ RATP transport companies, admitted the network is “obsolete”, with “at least eight” lines no longer able to provide a “quality public service”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) diplomatically said it was “reassured” but described the transfer as “extremely complicated”.
Ever since it was announced that the opening ceremony would take place on the Seine River, there have been questions about both practicality and safety.
A large stretch of river is inherently more difficult to police than a stadium.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, following the killing of a teacher in France by an Islamist former student, concerns in France have grown.
A deadly knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on December 2, which claimed the life of a German tourist, further heightened concerns.
How safe will athletes, heads of state and even the public feel?
The US delegation at a presentation on seat belts expressed “confidence” in the matter on Thursday, while French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera gave an ambiguous response to calls for an alternative option.
“Not a plan B, but a second plan,” he said.
After much back and forth, the surfing competitions will be held in French Polynesia as planned, the regional president said, declaring that a fiery dispute between organizers, authorities and environmental groups is over.
Polynesian leader Moetai Brotherson told AFP on Sunday that a meeting with environmental associations had produced “a solution” that would allow the contest to be held in Teahupo’o on the island of Tahiti.
Debate over the island’s suitability to host the competitions has raged for weeks, peaking earlier this month after a construction barge used to install a new judging tower at sea broke coral during testing.
Oudea-Castera had ruled out relocating the Olympic surfing events, saying there was no alternative site, but criticized what she admitted was a “poorly prepared” trial event.
France’s Atlantic coast is home to some of Europe’s most famous surfing beaches and local officials were hoping to host the events.
Since Russian tanks entered Ukraine in February 2022, there have been questions about the presence at the Paris Games of Russian athletes and those of its ally Belarus.
On Friday, the IOC finally gave the green light for them to compete even under a neutral banner and under strict conditions.
No groups will be accepted, only people who do not actively support the war in Ukraine and are not contracted to the military.
The IOC says there are currently only 11 athletes — eight Russians and three Belarusians — who have qualified and meet those criteria.
Moscow denounced the terms as “discriminatory”, while Kiev protested that the ILO decision “encourages Russia and Belarus to continue their armed aggression against Ukraine”.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe made his sport’s position clear: “You may see Russian or Belarusian athletes under neutral flags in Paris, but they won’t be in track and field.”
Calls for a blanket Russia/Belarus ban are likely to grow as the number of verified Ukrainian civilian deaths — which the UN put at at least 10,000 in November — continues to rise.
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