On Thursday, June 27, the French Embassy in Latvia told about the preparation of the country and its capital to host the ambitious Olympic and Paralympic events.
France is poised to host the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games
For the first time, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will not take place in a stadium, but in the open air on the river Seine. More than 326,000 spectators will gather on its shores. France also wants to highlight and show its cultural and historical heritage by holding competitions, for example, at the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Place de la Concorde.
French Ambassador to Latvia Aurelia Royer-Gounen emphasized that the goal is to make the games open to the maximum possible number of spectators.
French Ambassador to Latvia Aurelia Royer-Gounen talks about the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris
Photo: Eddy Palen/LETA
“More than 13 million tickets have been sold. We want them [spēles] would be wide open, we hope for the maximum number of spectators. Current estimates are that the games will be watched by a total of 3.2 billion television viewers worldwide,” said Royer-Gounen.
15,000 athletes will come to the Games, competing in 32 sports and 22 Paralympic sports disciplines.
French Internal Security Attaché in the Baltic States, Cyril Quivillier, explained that the scope and openness of the Games require special attention to be paid to security.
“The openness and vastness of these games require many different security measures. Much is being done to ensure that the game sites are searched, that there are no explosives. We will have a huge number of service dog teams looking for explosives, and Latvia is helping us,” emphasized Kivilje.
45,000 policemen, soldiers and other guards will take care of security at the opening ceremony. During the rest of the games, 30,000 security guards will provide security every day. The French ambassador pointed out that the Olympic Games are also an important moment for diplomacy, as more than 150 heads of state and government will arrive in Paris.
A day before the opening ceremony of the games, a summit of national leaders will be held, where they will talk about sports and sustainable development.
“It will also be a strong political message. France is working a lot with Ukraine so that Ukraine, which is fighting Russia’s brutal aggression, can participate in the Games and be honored. France has invested one million euros to help Ukrainian athletes prepare for the Olympics. We expect more than 200 Ukrainian athletes will participate,” said Royer-Gunena.
In order to maintain the Olympic atmosphere, the French side also organizes several events in Latvia. The children’s comic “Asteriks at the Olympic Games” has been translated into Latvian, but the Paris Olympic tent will be operating at the “Lamp” conversation festival in Cēsis on July 5 and 6.
“Children will be able to draw Olympic medals, and we hope that they will be able to be sent to Latvian athletes. They will also be able to participate in sports activities, and there will be discussions about sports and the Olympic Games,” said Mathieu Leporini, director of the French Institute.
The Olympic debut of the Latvian delegation at the 1924 Games in Paris is announced by an exhibition opened at the French Embassy in Riga.
“We wanted to symbolically mark this anniversary. The exhibition tells both about what has been and what awaits us in Paris,” explained Sandra Urtāne, deputy director of the French Institute.
Olympic exhibition at the French Embassy in Latvia
Photo: Gundars Galkins/LSM.lv
The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Latvian Sports Museum and will be on display throughout the summer.
The approach of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Latvia will also be heralded by France Day at the reconstructed Daugava Stadium on July 12, two days before the French national holiday – Bastille Day.
At the press conference at the French Embassy, they inform about the Paris Olympic Games2min
The Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11.
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