French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has revealed that a force of around 35,000 police is likely to be deployed at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics on the River Seine next year but has refused to forecast exactly how many spectators will be able to attend.
"The Ceremony will require a security undertaking that is completely exceptional," Darmarin insisted.
"It is the first time in the history of the Olympic Games or in big sporting events that a Ceremony will take place outside the stadium.
"There will be hundreds of thousands of spectators to see the Ceremony in person and many millions of television viewers."
Darmanin pledged that more information would be given about security arrangements in the coming months but admitted that cyberattacks and drones were a major concern.
The Ceremony is set to feature a river procession with approximately 160 craft set to carry the athletes from over 200 teams on a journey of six kilometres.
A figure of around 600,000 had originally been suggested with approximately half a million allowed to watch for free from the Upper Quay public areas on the route, although there has been speculation in the French media that this number might be reduced.
Admission for these areas will be free, but spectators will still need to apply for a ticket to attend and the area will be subject to security scanning in an anti-terrorist perimeter although specific details have not yet been revealed.
"We will design, develop, finance and organise a secure registration platform," Darmanin explained.
"It is a tool that will be essential to regulate all the flows that will concern Parisians and tourists who will see this Opening Ceremony."
It is also likely that spectators who apply will be subject to a security screening process before the day.
The route of the river pageant begins at the Pont d’Austerlitz and continues to the Pont d'Iéna close to the Trocadero where the Opening Ceremony is set to be take place in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
It is expected that the forces on the Upper Quays will be supplemented by an additional 2,000 municipal police.
A similar number of private security staff are expected to be deployed on the Lower Quays where tickets are priced from €90 (£78/$97) to €2,700 (£2,350/$2,900).
Protection for the dignitaries attending will be undertaken by special forces.
Darmanin had joined Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra to sign a formal document.
This was to outline "the guiding principles that distribute our responsibilities for securing the Ceremony," Darmanin explained.
"They will be Games well organised in perfect security."
It is understood that a first rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony is likely to take place this July with around 40 craft involved on the river.
The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Friday July 26 2024.
A year ago, Darmanin was heavily criticised after insisting that the chaos before the UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool was as a result of fake tickets.
Spectators were left trapped outside the Stade de France and an investigation later condemned the arrangements made by UEFA, the stadium authorities and security forces
