French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics planned on the River Seine could be shifted instead to the Stade de France if the security threat is deemed too high.
Speaking to French media BFM-TV and RMC, Macron said France’s law enforcement forces will be mobilized at an exceptional level for the security of the open-air event.
“But if we think there are risks, depending on our analysis of the context, we have fallback scenarios,” Macron said. “There are plan Bs and plan Cs.”
The July 26 event is set to be the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside a stadium setting. About 10,500 athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital on boats on the Seine along a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route.
To limit security risks, Macron said organizers could decide to shorten the itinerary of the parade on the Seine, and even to “repatriate the ceremony to the Stade de France” for a more conventional opening event.
Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education
Agyemang rallies Charlotte to 3
Westfield Bondi Junction incident live updates: Heartbreak as mother of nine
1 killed in police action on farmers in India
Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
100 dead, 211 missing after powerful quakes jolt Japan
22 killed, 10 injured as tractor trolley overturns in India
Thick blanket of fog in Pakistan's capital affects routine life
Strictly star Giovanni Pernice's former partner Rose Ayling
Thick blanket of fog in Pakistan's capital affects routine life
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
Sri Lankan navy apprehends 12 Indian fishermen for poaching