Amid rising tensions over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, threats from the Islamic State group, and France’s history of homegrown Islamist terror plots as well as far-right extremism, there were real concerns about France’s ability to ensure adequate security during the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, French security services managed to keep thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe – a “gold-medal” performance, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
The vaulting ambition of the Paris Olympics – which included an opening ceremony held along a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the River Seine, the first to take place outdoors and with 300,000 ticketed spectators present – made them a difficult and daunting task to police.
