Paris Olympics blow

Olympics: On a day Paris Olympic bid leaders wanted to show off the French capital, a knife attack on a soldier raised more security questions about the city’s ability to stage the 2024 Games in a safe atmosphere. News of the attack outside the Louvre Museum yesterday broke hours before bid officials hosted a ceremony near the Eiffel Tower to coincide with the final submission of their 110-page dossier to the International Olympic Committee. Despite the joyful atmosphere at the Musee de l’Homme, the assault, the latest in a wave of attacks that has left more than 200 people dead in the country over the past two years, again highlighted the threat hanging over the country. Bid officials, however, claim Paris has the experience to organise and protect major events, often citing soccer’s European Championship last year as an example despite troubles caused by hooligans in Marseille and a deadly truck attack in Nice that killed 86 people four days after the tournament final.