MOSCOW, July 21, Oleg Bogatov. Organizers of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, they were unable to solve the main problem — to neutralize the mass protests of the French against the holding of the Games; such active actions could threaten provocations and danger for athletes, said two-time Olympic champion in biathlon Dmitry Vasiliev.
The Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11. French media previously reported on the mass eviction of migrants and homeless people in the Ile-de-France region. According to official data, on the eve of the Olympics, the mayor's office has already removed 5,200 homeless people from the city. However, refugee protection associations claim that more than 12,500 people have been displaced since April 2023, when preparations for the Games began. The authorities' actions were criticized by the public for trying to «hide poverty.»
«Problems such as the increased concentration of harmful substances in the air and the pollution of the Seine River could be reconciled. But the organizers did not solve the main problem — the protest campaign from all sorts of people living in France who were dissatisfied with the Olympics. This is exactly what they did not solve the problem in any way. And when the crowd is uncontrollable, this is a very dangerous thing, which in the end can spread to the Olympians. This applies not only to Russian athletes, but to all athletes in general. This means that there can no longer be any talk about any holiday,” Vasiliev said.
«Yes, there will be an opening of the Games, some artists will perform, but it will no longer be a full-fledged holiday. Because the tension, which, unfortunately, the French leadership could not eliminate, will be all irritate, irritate and keep to a certain extent in anxious anticipation,” the agency’s interlocutor noted.