Israel’s footballers played their first match of the Olympic Games under heavy security precautions. The area around the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, where the first preliminary round match against Mali (1:1) took place, was cordoned off. A large police force, including special forces, patrolled. The buses of both teams were accompanied to the stadium by several police cars.
When the Israeli anthem was played before kick-off, there were whistles. During the match, small groups of fans in the main stand displayed Palestinian flags, which led to discussions with other spectators and security forces. The action initially had no further consequences.
It was a “particularly delicate game,” said France’s acting Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin before the match. He watched it himself in the stadium “to show that there is of course no security problem that we are aware of.” According to Darmanin, around 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were deployed – because of the game, but also to help tourists, for example.
Israel’s delegation is under special protection at the Games in France. Their teams and individual athletes will be accompanied by French police around the clock – in the Olympic Village and also on the way to the respective competition venues.
Palestinians demand Israel’s exclusion from the Games
The Palestinian Olympic Committee recently called for Israel to be excluded from the Games. In light of the Gaza war, the Palestinians accuse Israel of “systematic and persistent violation of the Olympic Charter.”
2024 Summer Olympics
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Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), then pointed out the political neutrality of the umbrella organization. “The Olympics are not a competition between countries or governments, but between athletes,” said Bach. The Palestinian and Israeli Olympic Committees have coexisted peacefully so far.
Israel’s footballers played their first match of the Olympic Games under heavy security precautions. The area around the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, where the first preliminary round match against Mali (1:1) took place, was cordoned off. A large police contingent, including special forces, patrolled. The buses of both teams were accompanied to the stadium by several police cars.
When the Israeli anthem was played before kick-off, there were whistles. During the match, small groups of fans in the main stand displayed Palestinian flags, which led to discussions with other spectators and security forces. The action initially had no further consequences.
