"Not to See Paris and Not To Die." Let's list point by point what is wrong with the upcoming Summer Olympics
"Not to See Paris and Not To Die." Let's list point by point what's wrong with the upcoming Summer Olympics
A sad aura shrouded the upcoming sporting event in France. With less than three months to go until the Olympics, Emmanuel Macron is constantly raising tensions with words about the possible introduction of EU troops into Ukraine. So, the preparation for the multisport forum (and everyone admits it) is taking place in a nervous atmosphere.
In Paris, the Olympic rings were set on fire at the May Day demonstration, and new protests break out every now and then. The Waste Collectors' Union of the capital has filed a strike notice. But this is just the beginning. ATN correspondent Kristina Kamysh will list point by point what is wrong with competitions in the city of lovers.
Unsportsmanlike conduct
What is the Olympics?! This is following the motto of Pierre de Coubertin: "Faster, Higher, Stronger"; A celebration for both athletes and fans. But there is a bad atmosphere around the Summer Games in Paris, and first of all, it concerns global security. The International Institute for Strategic Studies has calculated that last year was a record for the last 30 years in terms of the number of regional conflicts operating in the world. There are 183 of them. You have to admit that there is no time for a sports festival in France on the planet now.
Spyros Kapralos, head of the National Olympic Committee of Greece:
Our goal is to remind everyone of what was done in ancient Greece during the Olympic Games. Then they stopped wars, laid down their arms and competed in arenas. This is the message that we are trying to convey to the whole world - to end conflicts, to come together and unite in an event in which more than 200 countries are participating.
Terrorism is a separate item on the list of problems of the organizers. After the events in the Crocus City Hall in the Moscow Region, the special services of the Fifth Republic recommended canceling the opening ceremony of the Olympics or at least changing its format. According to the plan, for the first time in history, the show will be held not at the stadium, but on the Seine River. Thousands of athletes will ride boats along the 6-kilometer route and see the main attractions of Paris. About 300 thousand spectators will watch the river parade. But just imagine what security measures need to be taken to prevent a suicide bomber with a drone from getting into this crowd.
Tony Estanguet, Chairman of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee:
We have very big ambitions to implement this unique project of the opening ceremony of the Games on the Seine River in the center of Paris. And, of course, we are preparing this event taking into account possible unforeseen circumstances. We will be able to adapt to any situation that may happen in France at the time of the ceremony.
Last Monday in Lille, a laptop with confidential information related to the protection of athletes directly in the Olympic Village was stolen. And this is the third case of theft. 18,000 soldiers are called upon to guarantee peace of mind to guests and participants of the Summer Games. By the way, a military camp has been built for them on the outskirts of the French capital for two weeks. Another 45,000 internal security, police, gendarmerie and about 20,000 employees of private security agencies will provide protection. Will they be able to do it?! Doubtful, especially given the facts and figures: Paris hopes for the arrival of more than 10 million fans from all over the world. And the police are now regularly demonstrating against the conditions of their mobilization.
Djamel, protester:
I came to the demonstration today because the Olympics are approaching and we are in complete uncertainty. For example, I'm a security guard. There are about 200 people like me here. Some security companies have already written letters to their employees asking them not to go on vacation during the competition. From June to August, we cannot take time off. We are protesting against working conditions, wages, which will remain the same, while the volume of work will double.
How much does it cost to clean the streets during the Olympics? Answer: 1900 euros bonus per person. The union of Paris garbage collectors has submitted two notices of planned strikes, one of which will cover the entire period of the Summer Games if their demands are not met. Workers think they will be overworked in July/August, so they want higher wages and bonuses.
Richie Thibault, activist of the movement "For People's and Social Ecology":
Emmanuel Macron (thanks to the Olympic Games) wants France to shine on a global level. But this must be paid for with human dignity. Now the homeless and the poor are being evicted. In a matter of moments, they are building the Olympic Village, which can accommodate several thousand inhabitants. Whereas for the past decades, they have done nothing to accommodate people from the street. So these Games are social cleansing, public contempt, and environmental disaster.
100 days before the Olympics, French police evicted 450 migrants from an abandoned factory near Paris. Such operations to clean up the capital are now taking place on a regular basis. After all, you need to create the impression that everything is good in the city of lights and out of love.
Elias Hufnagel, member of the NGO Utopia 56:
This is another example of the social cleansing that is taking place in the run-up to the Summer Games. The police are evacuating all the tent cities because they want it to be clean for the eyes of tourists during the Olympics. They don't want to see Paris as a city full of migrants and asylum seekers.
The total budget of the Games is just over €8 billion. The fact is that 95% of sports facilities were previously in operation. Only minor repairs were needed there. For example, at the Stade de France, treadmills, lighting, screens and 5G communication equipment had to be upgraded. The Paris Aquatic Centre, the Olympic Village, as well as a huge underground drainage basin have already been completed. The state paid almost 1.5 billion euros for the project in order to clean up the Seine for the first time in 100 years.
Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Sport:
We know that when it rains, the water overflows the sewers. Wastewater is mixed with rainwater. This is the main factor causing bacterial contamination of the Seine. If we have a storage facility capable of taking in about 50,000 cubic meters of water, it will allow us to hold back rainwater to prevent sewage overflow.
The cleanup project has not worked so far. According to forecasts, there will be changes at the Olympics because of this. From September to March, the non-profit organization for the protection of the environment carried out laboratory samples taken in the areas of the Seine where the swimming stage of the triathlon is planned. The level of pollution exceeds the permissible indicators by 2 and sometimes 3 times. There is no alternative venue for triathlon competitions.
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris:
I'm not going to talk about it today because it's off topic. We are working to ensure that around June 23, people can come and swim in the Seine. It's going to be an event. I'm going to dive into the river, many volunteers have already volunteered to join me.
Hotel prices have skyrocketed. If last summer on the outskirts of the city it was possible to spend the night in a hotel for 90 euros, then during the Olympics they will ask for 1400 euros for a room. A traffic collapse is coming. Some subway stations will remain closed. By the way, 4 baguettes or just one subway ride. The tickets during the Games will cost 2 times more. And this also does not add to the enthusiasm of Parisians. According to a recent survey, almost half of the residents of the French capital are not happy about the sports festival.
Valérie Pécresse, head of the Ile-de-France metropolitan region:
We are going to introduce a new travel card. €16 per day is a fair price. A weekly pass will cost up to €70, metro tickets €4, and commuter train tickets €6 between July 20 and September 8.
Amandine Laru, resident of Paris:
My family and I will be away from Paris for three weeks. I want to rent out my apartment, but I don't think about big profits. You know, there are people who will come and pay 800 euros for one match, and this is, of course, nonsense. So I'm not going to do charity work.
And now about your shirt, which is always closer to your body. Belarusian athletes in neutral status are still fighting for Olympic licenses. At the moment, our boys and girls have won 20 quotas. And in a good way, there should be 3 times more of them. For comparison, 105 people from Belarus competed in Tokyo.
Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus:
It's an athlete's business. If he decides to participate in the Olympics, he will be even angrier. You know, mood and anger are important in sports. But if you have already qualified and are going there in a neutral status, punch them in the face, show them that you are a real Belarusian. The more pressure you get, the more resistance you have. Tomorrow we will return to this European, world family. And we will show them that we can.
The motto of the Olympiad is: "Games open to all". In today's realities, it sounds strange. We offer an alternative: "Not to see Paris and not to die."