PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron praised the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday, stating that France was truly proud of the striking spectacle on the Seine River.
Macron praised the French security services for making it possible, having long championed the idea of holding the summer Olympics’ opening ceremony outdoors of a stadium.
Seven years ago, everyone told us that we couldn’t accomplish this. At the Paris police headquarters, he said, “I remember it very well.”
“All those experts who declared things like ‘this is criminal folly’ and ‘this will never happen’… Some claimed that it was impossible given the threat of terrorism. However, your efforts over the past few years allowed us to succeed,” he remarked.
Speaking of the opening ceremony, he claimed it had “made our compatriots extremely proud” despite some of its unconventional components infuriating the French Catholic church and far-right.
The sportsmen and artists, he remarked, had produced a “great spectacle”.
Macron issued a warning, stating that the Olympics and Paralympics, which take place in two weeks, posed a serious threat to the security forces.
With the opening ceremony, “even though we have now passed a fundamental stage,” the upcoming weeks will be challenging.
In addition to stating that 45,000 police and gendarmes had been called in for the opening ceremony, he said that about 250,000 security personnel will be on watch to guard France all summer long.
