Paris Olympics 2024: Preparations at peak as Organisers claim, ‘We are Ready’.

Paris Olympics chief Tony Estanguet reassured that the city is ready for the Games, but residents and businesses are complaining about it. Speaking at a press conference five days ahead of the opening parade, Estanguet spoke with confidence on the readiness of the city.

“We are ready as we head into the final phase,” Estanguet said while emphasizing that alertness should be maintained until the closing ceremony. “Today, we are exactly where we would have dreamed of being a few years ago.”

Final preparations are under way for venues throughout Paris, while thousands of athletes and officials started to flood in alongside better weather.

More important is that the water quality of the Seine River has much improved and will be critical to the outdoor Olympic swimming events planned. “All the indicators for the Seine are positive at this stage,” the Chief said.

The river will provide the stage for the opening ceremony, with 6,000-7,000 athletes on eighty-five boats, the first Olympics whose opening will take place outside a main stadium. Up to 300,000 ticketed spectators will watch from stands and the riverbanks, with another 200,000 expected from nearby apartments, with about four thousand tickets still available.

“We have always tried to keep the level of ambition as high as possible so that these Games make France shine,” added Estanguet.

Security for the opening ceremony will be extremely tight: large areas of central Paris close to the river and Olympic venues were off-limits to most people. Trade groups representing shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs have reported an “unprecedented slump in business and footfall”, partly attributing it to “heavy security measures”.

Estanguet admitted the disruption, “It always was a choice made in full conscience that the success of Paris 2024 would mean having the Games in the city. That was the completely unprecedented concept for Paris 2024.”

The sports will take place in temporary venues across Paris, with beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, archery at Les Invalides, and skateboarding at Place de la Concorde. “We can’t do it without some disruption. We cannot do it without some limitations,” Estanguet admitted, offering thanks to those who accepted that these were necessary.

About 45,000 French security forces will be on duty for the match, which kicks off at 7:30 pm (1730 GMT), with cybersecurity also a top priority following a recent global IT outage.

“The number one priority for Paris 2024 was security,” Estanguet said, guaranteeing the Games would be as safe as possible to ensure success.