The French Interior Ministry has rejected approximately 5,000 security accreditation requests for volunteers and workers involved in the Olympics, with around 1,000 of these rejections stemming from suspicions of interference or espionage.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry disclosed that it had conducted “about a million” administrative investigations into various staff members for the 2024 Paris Games. These checks identified a range of threats, including interference, espionage, criminal records, illegal immigration status, radical Islam, and extremist ideologies from both the ultra-right and ultra-left.
“Projects of interference have been foiled,” the Ministry stated, emphasizing that “Russia is not the only country likely to interfere in France.”
Additionally, a Russian national is under preliminary investigation in Paris, suspected of planning to disrupt the Olympic Games, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The statement did not specify other countries suspected of interference.
In addition to conducting staffing checks, the ministry announced that it had also screened nearly 20,000 residents living within the security perimeter around the Seine, the site of the upcoming Opening Ceremony.
The ministry emphasized that this will be the first time the Summer Games’ Opening Ceremony is held outside a stadium, presenting substantial security challenges. Despite these challenges, the ministry conveyed its confidence, stating it is “now ready” following final rehearsals on Tuesday evening.
Speaking on BFM on Wednesday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin remarked, “France knows how to organize what no one else in the world knows how to organize.”
“Once a century, France not only becomes a beacon of fraternity and sport but also showcases that our country is the most beautiful in the world,” Darmanin added.
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