PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday hailed the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, saying the bold showpiece on the River Seine had made France extremely proud.

Macron, who had long defended the concept of the first ever summer Olympics opening ceremony outside a stadium, congratulated the French security forces for ensuring it could happen.

“Everyone told us seven years ago that this was impossible to do. I remember it very well,” he said at Paris police headquarters. “There were all those experts who said ‘this is criminal madness’ and ‘this will never happen’… People said that with the terrorist risk it was impossible. But we did it thanks to your work over the last years.”

He said that the opening ceremony — an eclectic mix of elements, some of which angered the far-right and Catholic church in France — had “made our compatriots extremely proud”.

He added that the artists and athletes had provided a “great spectacle”.

Macron warned that the challenge for the security forces was far from over with the Olympics continuing for the next two weeks and then followed by the Paralympics.

“The next weeks will be difficult even if we have now passed a fundamental stage” with the opening ceremony.

He said 45,000 police and gendarmes had been mobilised for the opening ceremony and added some 250,000 members of the security forces would be on duty throughout the summer to protect France.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2024