With 22 weeks to go before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, France is deciding to gradually reinvigorate the agencies responsible for the security of athletes and the public, RFI reports.
The military governor of Paris, Christophe Abad, detailed the plans, stating that 10,000 soldiers would be stationed in the Île-de-France region from 26 July to 11 August and placed in a military camp at Pelouse de Reuilly, a large open space in the parkland known as the Bois de Vincennes.
“We’ll start setting up the camp at the end of April, with completion scheduled for the beginning of July.”
According to General Abad, the camp will be up to the standards of those established during overseas operations, with “removable wooden chalets which can accommodate 25 people and are air-conditioned to cope with the summer heat.”
We’re bringing a real city out of the ground.
The army will also be responsible for the security of ships participating in the opening ceremony, which will take place on the River Seine on 26 July. France is struggling to recruit security agents in the private sector, with some 20,000 positions yet to be hired.
According to public broadcaster FranceInfo, between 24 and 36 trainees are being trained each month at a special facility in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris. They will be able to become part of the roughly 17,000 agents expected each day during the Olympic events.
