Paris Olympics security blocks 5,000 citing espionage concerns

France’s Interior Ministry has rejected around 5,000 security accreditation requests for volunteers and workers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing various security concerns. Approximately 1,000 of these rejections were due to suspicions of meddling or espionage.

The Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had conducted “about a million” administrative investigations into the backgrounds of potential staff for the upcoming games.

Threats identified: Espionage, radicalism, and criminal records

The checks revealed a range of threats, including meddling and espionage, criminal records, illegal residency, radical extremism, and extreme political ideologies. “Projects of interference have been foiled,” the ministry stated, adding that “Russia is not the only country likely to interfere in France.”

In a related development, a Russian national was placed under preliminary investigation in Paris over concerns that he was planning to disrupt the Olympic Games, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. The ministry did not specify other countries suspected of similar interference.

In addition to screening staff, the Interior Ministry reported that it had also vetted nearly 20,000 residents living within the security perimeter along the Seine River, where the opening ceremony will be held.

Extensive security measures around opening ceremony site

The 2024 Paris Games will feature the first-ever opening ceremony held outside a traditional stadium for the Summer Olympics, presenting unique security challenges. Despite these challenges, the Interior Ministry expressed confidence in its preparedness following final rehearsals on Tuesday evening.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin emphasized the country’s capability to handle such significant events during an appearance on BFM TV on Wednesday. “France knows how to organize what no one else in the world knows how to organize,” Darmanin said.