French police have set up traffic and security perimeters in Paris to ensure the safety and security of residents, athletes and visitors during the Olympic Games, which begin on Friday, July 26, UNN reports citing France 24.
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French security forces began blockading much of downtown Paris on Thursday ahead of next week's highly anticipated opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine River.
The opening of the parade along six kilometers of the river led to the closure of the riverside downtown areas to most vehicles from 5:00 am (03:00 GMT) on Thursday.
Anyone who wants to enter the "gray zone" of the highest security level on both banks of the Seine, such as residents or tourists who have booked hotel rooms in the area, must receive a pass in the form of a QR code.
Such changes in the City of Light are taking place on the eve of the Olympic Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11, when about 10 million spectators are expected.
Temporary sports stadiums have sprung up in popular locations such as the Eiffel Tower, the House of the Disabled or Place de la Concorde, and new Olympic VIP lanes have been created.
"It's true that our concept is to have a large number of temporary venues in the city center, obviously there are limitations with that, but I feel that people see what we are doing," Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Tobois told AFP last month.
Many central metro stations will also be closed on Thursday until the day after the opening ceremony, when 6,000-7,000 athletes will sail down the Seine on about a hundred barges and river boats.
For the first time, the Summer Olympic Games will open outside the main athletics stadium, and up to 500,000 people will be able to watch them in person from the stands, on the riverbank, and from apartments with a view.
The large-scale security operation has been causing senior police officers to break out in a cold sweat since it was announced in 2021, due to the difficulty of securing such a large number of spectators in such a large and densely populated urban area, the newspaper points out.
About 45,000 officers will be on duty at the parade on July 26, assisted by thousands of soldiers and private security agents.
On Wednesday, police in eastern France announced that they had arrested a suspected far-right extremist who had threatened the Games in a group on the Telegram app.
The installation of tens of thousands of metal security barriers along the entire route of the opening ceremony in Paris has angered some residents who feel locked out.
On Thursday, the first athletes are to arrive and settle in the newly built Olympic Village in the northern suburbs of the capital.
The complex, which includes about 40 different low-rise residential buildings, was built as a demonstration of innovative construction technologies using low-carbon concrete, water recycling and recycled building materials.
It was supposed to have no air conditioning, although the Olympic delegations ordered about 2,500 portable cooling devices for their athletes, fearing the impact of high temperatures on their performances.
At full capacity, the village will accommodate 14.5 thousand people, including 9 thousand athletes.
The Olympic Games will be followed by the Paralympic Games, which will take place from August 28 to September 8.