The French river police are practicing on the city’s river in advance of this month’s Olympic opening ceremony, which takes place three weeks before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Over 90 boats carrying about 10,000 athletes are scheduled to parade 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) down the Seine River.
The head of the Paris River police department, Sophie Malherbe, stated, “We take great pride in our ability to ensure security along the river for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. We do not anticipate any particular problems during the event.” Our training program is centered on long-term preparation as part of our everyday routine, not only for the Olympics.
The river brigade practices swimming, diving, and piloting every morning to ensure that they are at their best for the opening ceremony on the Seine and the other nautical activities that we will be protecting.”
The Paris police commissioner plans to put some 30,000 police officers on duty every day, with some of them carrying weapons, for a total of up to 45,000 troops for the opening ceremony. In addition, the military will help out; over 18,000 army soldiers are expected to be involved in the event.