Macron says opening ceremony could be moved
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics planned on the River Seine could be shifted instead to the Stade de France if the security threat is deemed too high.
France is on high security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which are expected to draw millions of visitors to the country.
Security concerns are notably high for the the exceptional opening ceremony, which involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine on a 3.7-mile parade and huge crowds watching from the embankments.
Speaking to French media BFM-TV and RMC, Macron said France's law enforcement forces will be mobilized at an exceptional level for the security of the open-air event.
“But if we think there are risks, depending on our analysis of the context, we have fallback scenarios,” Macron said. “There are plan Bs and plan Cs.”
The July 26 event is set to be the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside a stadium setting. About 10,500 athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital on boats on the Seine along the route ending in front of the Trocadéro.
To limit security risks, Macron said organizers could decide to shorten the itinerary of the parade on the Seine, and even to “repatriate the ceremony to the Stade de France” for a more conventional opening event.
Organizers had originally planned a grandiose opening ceremony for as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge from riverbanks. But security and logistical concerns have led the government to progressively scale back its ambitions. Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators was reduced to around 300,000.
The French government also decided that tourists won't be given free access to watch the opening ceremony because of security concerns. Free access will be invitation-only instead.
Macron insisted that, for now, plans for the opening ceremony remain the same.
“It's a world first. We can do it and we will do it,” the French President said.
France has repeatedly been hit by deadly Islamic State attacks, including the Bataclan theater massacre in 2015 in which extremists opened fire on concert-goers and held hostages for hours. French troops have also fought against Islamic extremists in the Middle East and Africa.
Last month, the French government increased its security alert posture to the highest level after the deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and the Islamic State's claim of responsibility.
Macron said that security perimeters will be installed “days, even weeks” before the opening ceremony. He added that road traffic in the high-security zone will be brought to a standstill, and that French authorities will use “drone systems, coding, cyber protection,” in their safeguarding efforts.
Answering to a viewer who expressed concerns about her son attending the opening ceremony, Macron said “If there's one place where your son will be safe, it's here.”
“There are always risks in life,” he said. “And we see it every day, unfortunately. But we've given ourselves the means to do it.”
During the hour-long interview, Macron also said he wants “to do everything possible to have an Olympic truce” for the Paris Games, amid a risk of an escalating conflict in the Middle East, Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its third year, and Sudan, hurtling towards a large-scale calamity of starvation and mass death after a year-long war.
The Olympic Truce is a modern revival of the ancient Greek tradition to ensure warring city states allowed safe passage for athletes to the games. Every two years, the host country of the upcoming Olympics introduces a U.N. resolution that other member states can co-sponsor.
“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,” Macron said, adding that he would ask Chinese leader Xi Jinping to weigh in and use his influence.
“The Chinese president is coming to Paris in a few weeks, and I'm going to ask him to help me,” Macron said. “This is a diplomatic moment of peace.”
Macron also backed the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete in the Olympics despite the Ukraine invasion, but under a neutral flag. Additionally, he defended the participation of Israeli athletes under their country's flag despite its offensive in Gaza in which 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
“We cannot say that Israel is attacking,” Macron said. “Israel was a victim of a terrorist attack to which it is now responding to in Gaza.”
Announced RB Emanuel Wilson and P Daniel Whelan signed their exclusive-rights free agent tenders.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS:
Re-signed DT DeForest Buckner to a two-year contract extension.
Announced RB Ronnie Rivers and OL Alaric Jackson have signed their exclusive-rights free agent tenders.
Re-signed WR DeVonta Smith to a three-year contract extension.
RAMS:
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
Leonard George Harden Powell Zubac Westbrook Mann Hyland Coffey Theis Plumlee Boston Diabate Moon Brown Miller Tucker
TEAM OPPONENTS
James
Davis
Russell Reaves Hachimura Prince
Wood Dinwiddie Reddish Vanderbilt Hayes
Christie Vincent
Hodge Hood-Schifino Castleton Windler
Mays
Giles
Lewis
TEAM OPPONENTS
G MIN
68 74 72 76 68 68 75 37 70 59 46 32 11 14 44
8 28
82 82
G MIN
71 76 76 82 68 78 50 28 48 29 70 67 11 7 21 16 8 17 7 34
82 82
34.3 33.8 34.3 26.2 26.4 22.5 25.0 14.6 20.9 17.1 14.7 10.8 5.8 8.5 9.0 3.5 15.0
240.3 240.3
35.3 35.5 32.7 32.1 26.9 27.0 17.4 24.2 20.5 20.0 12.5 14.1 19.8 5.9 5.2 3.7 3.5 4.5 2.7 3.0
242.1 242.1
FGM-FGA PCT
610-1162 582-1236 352-822 373-768 337-519 301-663 254-493
97-251 166-352 155-289 87-153 65-161 10-19 15-46 37-90
5-9 16-45
3473-7108 3413-7288
FGM-FGA
685-1269 713-1283 492-1080 457-940 363-676 253-572 123-264 56-141 91-234 59-114 126-175 103-241 15-49
5-15 10-45 9-16 4-9 10-21
1-6 4-21
3580-7177 3643-7687
.525 .471 .428 .486 .649 .454 .515 .386 .472 .536 .569 .404 .526 .326 .411 .556 .356
.489 .468
PCT
.540 .556 .456 .486 .537 .442 .466 .397 .389 .518 .720 .427 .306 .333 .222 .563 .444 .476 .167 .190
.499 .474
SINGLE-A CALIFORNIA LEAGUE
Ran. Cucamonga (LAD) Visalia (ARI)
Lake Elsinore (SD) Inland Empire (LAA)
Monday's games
No games scheduled
Today's games
3FG-3FGA FTM-FTA
140-336 243-588 186-488 167-384
0-0 42-154 71-204 44-135 70-184 26-70
0-6 14-52 0-0 2-17 14-48
1-2 11-30
1036-2719 1054-2902
3FG-3FGA
149-363
29-107 226-545 154-420 98-232 141-356 35-114 35-90 37-110 8-27 0-8 42-118 3-28 3-12 2-15 0-0 4-8 2-5 0-3 1-9
969-2572 1170-3109
253-286 264-291 302-344 143-172 120-166 110-160 79-95 18-23 61-71 38-50 70-99 23-33 9-14 1-2 1-2 2-2 3-3
1499-1817 1332-1718
FTM-FTA
303-404 421-516 159-192 232-272 99-134 50-68 66-94 44-50 41-54 24-36 51-82 36-46 1-2 1-2 12-20 6-6 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-3
1550-1983 1174-1476
W
5 5 4 2
W
4 4 3 2
PCT
.885 .907 .878 .831 .723 .688 .832 .783 .859 .760 .707 .697 .643 .500 .500 1.000 1.000
.825 .775
PCT
.750 .816 .828 .853 .739 .735 .702 .880 .759 .667 .622 .783 .500 .500 .600 1.000 .000 .000 .000 .667
.782 .795
L
2 2 4 5
L
3 4 4 5
Pct GB
.714 — .714 — .500 11/2 .286 3
Pct GB
.571 — .500 1/2 .429 1 .286 2
Fresno at Stockton, 11 a.m.
Ran. Cucamonga at Inland Empire, 6 p.m. Visalia at Lake Elsinore, 6:05 p.m. Modesto at San Jose, 6:30 p.m.
PTS
1613 1671 1192 1056 794 754 658 256 463 374 244 167 29 33 89 13 46
PTS
1822 1876 1369 1300 923 697 347 191 260 150 303 284 34 14 34 24 12 22 2 11
AVG
23.7 22.6 16.6 13.9 11.7 11.1 8.8 6.9 6.6 6.3 5.3 5.2 2.6 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.6
9481 115.6 9212 112.3
AVG
25.7 24.7 18.0 15.9 13.6 8.9 6.9 6.8 5.4 5.2 4.3 4.2 3.1 2.0 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.3 0.3 0.3