Macron says Olympic opening ceremony could move from river to stadium if security threat

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony could move from the river Seine to the national stadium in the event of a security threat.

Macron said in an interview with BFMTV and RMC that instead of teams sailing down the Seine on barges, the ceremony could be “limited to the Trocadero” building across the river from the Eiffel Tower or “even moved to the Stade de France”.

The Paris organisers have devised a ceremony that is unprecedented in Olympic history as it breaks from the tradition of opening the Games in the main stadium.

However, despite war raging in Ukraine and in Gaza, organisers have so far denied the ceremony on July 26 could be moved to a different venue if it is targeted.

“This opening ceremony… is a world first. We can do it and we are going to do it,” Macron said.

But, he added, “there are Plan Bs and Plan Cs”, including moving the ceremony to the Stade de France to the north of Paris.

“We will analyse this in real time,” Macron added.

He also said he would do “everything possible” to have an Olympic truce during the Games.

The truce is an historic tradition that peace reigns during the Olympics.

“We want to work towards an Olympic truce and I think it is an occasion for me to engage with a lot of our partners,” he said.

-AFP