Qatar Security Committee delegation visits French National Guard headquarters as part of preparations for securing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
As part of the ongoing security preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a delegation of the Qatar Security Committee involved in securing the upcoming tournament visited the headquarters of the French National Guard on Monday.
According to a statement by Qatar officials, the Security Committee delegation, led by Colonel Rakin Nawaf Majid Ali, Assistant Commander for Security Operations and Training of the Internal Security Force, met with French General Jean-Valerie Letterman – Head of the Directorate of Communications and Public Relations (SIRPA).
During the meeting, a coordination meeting was held to explore the approach of strategic cooperation in the media sphere to cover the Qatar Security Committee’s participation in securing the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Earlier this year, Qatari forces were announced to help France secure the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will take place from July 26 to August 11.
The partnership comes as part of several security agreements sealed between Qatar and France, which were inked during Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s visit to France.
Inked by Qatar’s Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, and his French counterpart, Gerald Darmanin, the document outlines a strategic roadmap for security coverage during Paris 2024, which is scheduled to unfold in five months.
Under this accord, Qatari security forces are set to play a vital role in ensuring the security of the Paris Olympics, spanning various aspects such as foot patrols and the national operational centre to mounted patrols, drone surveillance, explosive ordnance disposal, cyber security analysis, explosive detection dogs, counter-terrorism efforts, and riot control.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, chief Tony Estanguet, in an interview with BBC Sport, expressed that an “unprecedented” security operation will protect the Games and that preparations are “in good shape.”
“I would like to reassure you that it’s non-negotiable. Security is the priority. It’s the biggest event that France has ever organized, and we want to showcase the best of France. So, definitely, we are determined to be ready,” Estanguet told BBC Sport.
The Paris Olympic ceremony will be the first to be held outside a stadium.
More than 10,000 athletes are expected to sail along a 6km stretch of the Seine on 160 barges.
However, earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron said it could be relocated to the Trocadero Square or the Stade de France if the security risk is too high.
Organizers had initially planned to house 600,000 people watching the ceremony from riverbanks, but that has now been scaled down to 300,000.
Tourists will not be given free access to watch the ceremony, as was initially planned. I
Instead, tickets will be by invitation only, not via open registration.