Israel's opening soccer match provides first test for Paris 2024 security

PARIS : France will deploy hundreds of police officers to secure Israel's opening Olympic soccer match against Mali on Wednesday, a first security test ahead of the Games' official opening ceremony.

The Paris 2024 Summer Games take place amid pronounced security concerns and heightened geopolitical tensions, including over Israel's war in Gaza. Israeli competitors will be escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say.

"The protection systems for the Israeli delegation, their teams, the referees, the members of the Olympic committee, are all in place," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Le Parisien newspaper on Tuesday.

Darmanin said on Wednesday 1,000 security personnel would be deployed.

That is equivalent to the numbers in April for the UEFA Champions League match between Paris St Germain and Barcelona that was also held at the Parc des Princes in western Paris.

Israel's own internal security service, Shin Bet, will help with security at the game, which Darmanin is due to attend with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Israel's budget for protecting its athletes and wider delegation had increased substantially compared with the Tokyo Games in 2021, an Israeli official said.

The Palestinian Olympic Committee this week called for Israel to be excluded from the Games in an open letter to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The letter accused Israel of breaching the traditional Olympic truce, with continued military action in Gaza.

French far-left lawmakers have urged protests against Israel's participation in the Games.

In response to the boycott calls, Israel Olympic Committee President Yael Arad told reporters at a news conference