On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron hinted at the possibility of relocating the beginning of the Olympic Games from a boat procession on the Seine to a more traditional location.
Macron outlined backup plans, including relocating the ceremony to France’s biggest stadium, the Stade de France, and holding a smaller celebration in the Trocadéro district, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower.
According to a report, the Stade de France venue was not publicly evaluated throughout the planning process until recently, even though it has traditionally hosted the opening ceremony at previous Olympics.
Because of safety concerns, the planned opening ceremony of the Seine has already been drastically reduced in size. An invite-only style with 300,000 attendees was chosen over a proposal for an opening ceremony that could accommodate half a million people.
Following last month’s assault on Crocus, a Moscow music hall, French officials have heightened their terror alert to the maximum level, suggesting that another attack may be imminent. Following a warning from the Islamic State terror group, security for last week’s Champions League soccer game in Paris was beefed up.
Macron said that terrorist attacks have struck France, and their goal is to thwart aspirations, but they are organizing and resisting. He emphasized that the preferred choice for the opening ceremony was still near the Seine. He said that Security forces are mobilized to an unprecedented degree, and France will look its finest during the ceremony on July 26.
In the days leading up to crucial matches in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, the most prestigious club championship in European soccer, anonymous internet fans of the Islamic terrorist organization ISIS threatened soccer stadiums around Europe.
The Al Azaim Foundation, an ISIS-supporting internet media company, published a graphic picture of a balaclava-clad shooter with the words ‘Kill Them All’ displayed in bold font last week. The Parc des Princes in Paris, the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, and the Emirates Stadium in London were all named as potential targets in the article.
Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to attend the main Champions League games that will be held at all three venues.
