Questions & Answers Flame is burning: final spurt for Paris Olympic organizers
Performers take part in the official lighting ceremony for the Paris Olympics at the site of ancient Olympia in Greece. photo
© Thanassis Stavrakis/AP
The fire is already burning: preparations for the Summer Games in Paris are on the home stretch. But the Olympic organizers still have some worries.
With the lighting of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia, the final spurt for the Summer Games in Paris has begun. On Wednesday there are still 100 days until the opening ceremony in the French capital. The fire should be a “symbol of hope” in difficult times, said IOC President Thomas Bach on Tuesday at the ceremony in Greece.
Because the sun did not shine, the torch had to be lit with a fire that had been lit the day before during the dress rehearsal. In the coming days, the flame will be carried through Greece in a relay race and handed over to the organizers of the Paris Games on April 26th. The fire on a sailing ship comes to France. The Summer Games are scheduled from July 26th to August 11th.
How are the preparations going in Paris?
Head of organization Tony Estanguet sees the hosts prepared. “We are ready, we are on the home stretch,” said the three-time Olympic canoe champion. The infrastructure required for the games was completed in time, and the construction of temporary competition venues, such as at the Eiffel Tower and on the Place de la Concorde, is underway. The suitability of the arenas is ensured with final tests.
Are there still tickets for the competitions?
According to the organizers, around 7.9 million tickets have already been sold. On Wednesday from 10 a.m., 250,000 more tickets will be offered for all sports and in all price categories. The last remaining tickets are expected to go on sale in very limited numbers by summer. The tickets are available via the official platform www.tickets.paris2024.org/en.
How many competitions are there in Paris?
This time, 329 medal decisions are planned in 32 sports. That is ten fewer decisions than three years ago in Tokyo. Breakdancing is completely new to the program. Around 10,500 participants will take part. For the first time in Olympic history, the number of female starters will be exactly as high as the male ones. For this purpose, among other things, the number of mixed competitions was increased.
How big is the German team this time?
With more than 400 athletes, the German selection will once again be one of the largest. This is also ensured by the eight qualified teams so far in the classic team sports of football, handball, basketball, volleyball and hockey – there have never been more at the Olympics. The aim is to improve the mediocre result of Tokyo 2021. With 10 gold, 11 silver and 16 bronze medals, the German haul was the worst since reunification. “I believe that Team D will play a good role and one or two surprises are possible,” said German Head of Mission Olaf Tabor.
Is a German House planned in Paris?
Because of the corona pandemic, the German team had to do without a German House as a contact point and party zone in Tokyo 2021 and Beijing 2022. This is one of the reasons why the German Olympic Sports Confederation is planning big this time. In the Stade Jean-Bouin, a rugby arena, there will be a large meeting point for sponsors, guests and athletes as well as a performance center and a fan zone. Every day, up to 3,000 Olympic fans can be entertained inside the stadium and even do some sport themselves. “We are expecting many local fans from Germany and the support for Team D will certainly be outstanding,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert.
What worries do the Olympic organizers still have?
There has been repeated talk recently that the partly outdated and often overcrowded Paris metro might not be able to cope with the Olympic rush. The hosts’ hope is that many Parisians will go on summer vacation, as they usually do in the summer. Those who can should, if possible, work from home during this time, asked France’s Transport Minister. Another nuisance for Olympic guests could be the enormous increase in hotel prices. Many rooms during the games are three times more expensive than last summer.
And what about security?
The highest terror alert level applies in France. 45,000 security forces will protect the games in Paris, and 30,000 police officers are to be relocated from the province to the capital region. Since the serious attacks in Paris in 2015, the topic has become highly sensitive, and the organizers believe they are prepared for possible threats. The focus is particularly on the opening ceremony, during which around 160 boats with the Olympic participants will sail along the Seine along the most beautiful sights. It was recently said that the permitted number of 326,000 spectators should be further reduced if necessary. If the security situation worsens, the ceremony could be moved to another location, said French President Emmanuel Macron.
How much is France spending the games?
There are around nine billion euros in the Olympic organizers’ budget. More than half will come from sponsors, ticket sales and other private sources. This would make the games in Paris significantly cheaper than the recent summer games in Tokyo, Rio and London. Nevertheless, taxpayers will probably have to bear at least three billion euros of the costs.
Where to watch the Summer Games?
Olympic pictures are available again on Eurosport, ARD and ZDF. The three broadcasters are planning hundreds of hours of live broadcasts from Paris. ARD and ZDF alternately broadcast the Olympics on free-to-air television for 15 hours a day, as well as a series of live streams from the competitions in Paris. The opening will be shown on ARD, the closing ceremony on ZDF. Eurosport will also report in detail about the Olympics every day on its free-to-air channel, and further pictures are available on the channel’s paid offerings. Eurosport parent Discovery owns the Olympic broadcasting rights, and ARD and ZDF have received sublicenses.
dpa
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