Security fears stalk 2024 Paris Olympic organisers

Olympics there is widespread concern over security, exacerbated by the dreadful spectacle of the chaotic scenes at the Champions League final at the Stade de France. Police tear-gassing frustrated Liverpool fans, including children and the disabled, was not the fault of the supporters but, according to a damning fact-finding mission by two French senators, the fault of the organisers. "These dysfunctions were at every level, not only during the implementation but also during advance preparations," said the co-chair of the enquiry Laurent Lafon.

The debacle set alarm bells ringing with next year's Rugby World Cup being hosted in France but most of all for those dealing with security issues around the Olympics. "Hopefully this serves as a wake-up call for everybody," a security source told AFP. The nervousness surrounding security at the Olympics led French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to set a clear roadmap for new Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, who has replaced Didier Lallement.

"You will be the prefect of police in charge of the Olympics and the entire police prefecture must be geared towards that," Darmanin said during Nunez's inauguration ceremony. A government source told AFP the disastrous sequence of events at the Champions League final would "stick to them like a plaster up to the Olympic Games". With 13 million visitors expected and 15,000 athletes competing, the level of anxiety over the massive security operation at the Olympics was already high.