Afp, Ap y Xinhua
La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, April 16, 2024, p. a10
Olympia. With 100 days to go until the opening of Paris 2024, the Olympic flame will be lit today in ancient Olympia and will begin a journey that will take it from the Acropolis to French Polynesia, before arriving in the French capital.
For the first time since the covid-19 pandemic, which forced the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 (winter) Games to be held without fans, the event will be without restrictions and with spectators.
About 600 leaders are expected to attend the ceremony. The delegation will be led by the president of the Greek Olympic Committee, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and her counterpart at the IOC, Thomas Bach.
The ceremony will take place in the ruins of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera.
The Olympic fire will begin a long journey until it ends in Paris to announce the start of the Games on July 26. During the 11 days that the flame will travel through Greek territory, some 600 relays will carry the torch to 41 locations, for a total of 5 thousand kilometers.
The person in charge announced a maximum level of security during the ceremony, with police officers discreet, but present everywhere.
No one will access the stands without accreditation, he said.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron launched the countdown to the Games, reassuring about security around the opening ceremony on the Seine, although outlining for the first time alternative plans in the event of a terrorist threat.
If we think there are security risks we will have a plan B, and even a C, he said. We are preparing them in parallel. We will do an analysis in real time. We have a ceremony that would be limited to the Trocadero and would therefore not cover the entire Seine.
The president also mentioned the possibility of relocating the ceremony to the Stade de France.
Under the current plan, 10,500 athletes are expected to run six kilometers from east to west along the Seine, disembarking near the Eiffel Tower in the Place du Trocadéro for the celebration. It is estimated that 300 thousand spectators will enjoy the ceremony in person on both banks of the river.
Safety has been a major concern. The increasing risk of possible attacks is a critical consideration for both the organizing committee and the French government.
2024-04-16 09:19:38
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