Belarus (bbabo.net), - The Olympics in the capital of France is the most anticipated sporting event this year. However, this time, for the first time since the Cold War, the political component of the Games is becoming almost more important than the competitions themselves. In addition, the French government and the Paris mayor's office are faced with numerous organizational problems, some of which are simply impossible to solve in a hundred days, Izvestia claims.

How much does the Olympics cost

Hosting the Olympic Games is an extremely expensive event and almost always unprofitable. For this reason, the organizers every time do everything possible to reduce the expenditure side of the budget. In some cases, such as in Pyeongchang, Olympic facilities are built only for the duration of the competition, so that later there is no need to spend money on their maintenance; in others, infrastructure that was previously built for other events is used.

The budget for the Games, announced by the organizers, amounted to €3.98 billion, but was subsequently increased by €400 million due to inflation and rising energy prices. In January this year, the head of the organizing committee, Tony Estangue, said that security spending might need to be increased.

“The threat level is constantly updated. The competition security budget is estimated at around €300 million, but is likely to be increased. This is our priority,” Reuters quoted the official as saying.

However, the €4.5 billion figure is not accurate. The costs of reconstruction of buildings and communications are borne not by the organizing committee, but by the French government. Thus, the amount grows slightly less than double. The AR agency estimates it at approximately €8 billion. This does not include costs arising during construction. For example, according to France Press, a company involved in monitoring and organizing the construction of facilities and road infrastructure has increased the estimate of work to € 4 billion, of which € 1.55 billion is guaranteed by the country's budget.

At the same time, the real cost of holding the Olympics becomes known much later. A study conducted by Oxford Said Business School found that when submitting bids, organizers deliberately underestimate costs and overestimate expected income.

Trains, doctors, bacteria

Issues directly related to the holding of the Games have not yet been resolved. Even without the Olympics, Paris is known for its difficult transport situation. But, as France Press writes, the problem is aggravated by the fact that two metro lines, which were supposed to connect the Olympic venues with the city center, will not be completed by the start of the competition.

Another problem, already covered in detail by the world media, is the state of the Sena. Competitions, including swimming, will be held on the river running through the entire city. However, experts say it is dangerous to health. Analysis shows that the number of bacteria contained in Hay is two to three times higher than permissible standards.

The Surfrider Foundation Europe, which conducted the research, said there were “signs of fecal contamination.” Emmanuel Macron hastened to reassure the public and even promised to swim in the river, which the Parisians themselves, for obvious reasons, have not done since the beginning of the last century.

The French trade unions did not remain aloof from the sports festival. The country's largest organization, the General Confederation of Trade Unions, has notified that a strike will be held during the Olympics, which will affect government, local government and healthcare workers.

At the same time, for the French authorities and especially Emmanuel Macron, the Games represent the most important political event, emphasizes the head of the regional problems and conflicts sector at IMEMO. EAT. Primakov expert Pavel Timofeev:

“For Macron, the Olympics, like the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in June or the international summit of Francophonie in October, are very important from an image point of view. It is intended to show the world the influence, if not the greatness, of France. Preparations for the Games are active - in terms of ensuring security and preparing the infrastructure. At the same time, while politicians welcome the Olympics, the French are afraid of an influx of tourists and rising prices. Since the summer period is the holiday season, many will try to leave Paris at this time.”

Military Olympism

However, if organizational problems and ever-increasing costs can be hidden one way or another, then there is no way to influence the political context surrounding the Games. Experts both inside and outside France are seriously concerned about security issues that are a direct consequence of current events in the world.

As radio station Europe 1 reports, citing sources in special services, the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) of France recommended the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic to cancel the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which was supposed to take place along a special route through the entire city, due to the high terrorist threat.

Macron expressed hope for an Olympic truce in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. However, at the same time, the president spoke quite clearly about whose side France is on in these conflicts.

As a result, the main concern of the organizers is that one of the 5.7 million Muslims living in France (8.8% of the country's population) may disagree with Paris's position in the Middle East crisis or will be involved as a perpetrator of a terrorist attack . For this reason, the French Ministry of Internal Affairs has banned the entry of imams from Turkey and Algeria into the country since the new year.

However, as experts note, even if there are no incidents, this will not save the Olympics from other political actions. The Games are doomed to take place in the context of the current geopolitical confrontation, states sports commentator Alexander Kuzmak:

“How, for example, will the Israeli and Iranian teams interact? They even walk close to each other at the opening of the Games. And there are also teams from other Arab countries and their fans. The second problem is the absence of Russia and Belarus. Certain competitions will be devoid of sporting intrigue. In addition, there is no doubt that Ukrainian athletes and their fans will make a variety of political statements. The entire Olympics will be permeated with politics. Without a doubt, there will be various promotions, banners and comments with appropriate content, that is, everything that, in theory, should not happen at the Games.”

Thus, unresolved organizational issues, coupled with the most difficult international situation, create conditions in which the postponement of the Olympic Games does not seem unthinkable.

As Alexander Kuzmak notes, such a development of events really should not be ruled out. At least the chances of this happening are much higher than usual.

“Security issues will be very difficult to resolve simply because of the obvious internal complexities. There really is a problem with the Seine, the same as with the Olympic Village. And there are also huge problems with logistics, because this is Paris. Due to a combination of factors and the current political situation, there is a considerable possibility that they may try to postpone the Games to a later date. Such a scenario can be considered,” the expert sums up.

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