I have to say that this year's Olympic Games are really dramatic to the extreme. In Paris, an unprecedented tension is unfolding. Less than three months before the start of the Games, the French government sent a signal for help to 45 countries to ensure safety on July 26.
This move not only surprised us ordinary people, but I am afraid that even novelists would not have thought of such a plot. How did France, a military power, come to this? How did the preparations for the Olympics in Paris become like this?
We'll have to start at the beginning. This year's Olympics was supposed to be a carnival in Paris, a moment of world attention. The historic Olympic spirit is about to shine again in the city.
However, the hourglass of time has come to March 29, and France suddenly released a news that shocked the world: they asked 45 countries around the world for help to ensure the safety of the Olympic Games. The news was like a bombshell, leaving the media and people around the world stunned.
Why does such a situation occur in a military power that is the fifth largest in the world? There are two reasons for this. The first is the double standard in the handling of national participation at the Paris Olympics.
There has been a lot of controversy about the fact that athletes from Russia and Belarus have been restricted while not doing so with other countries. The second is the issue of law and order in Paris. You may not believe it, but even the president of the Mongolian Olympic Committee was robbed on a trip to Paris.
Then, there is the shadow of the terrorist attack. Paris, the romantic capital, suffered successive terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016.
From concert halls and stadiums to the celebration of the National Day, many events have left a deep mark on the city. Now that the Olympics are just around the corner, safety is the biggest concern.
Moving forward, we see that the city of Paris is also very hardworking, and they have urgently trained nearly 20,000 security personnel. But this number, in front of the upcoming 700,000 on-site audiences and millions of tourists, is obviously a drop in the bucket. As a result, France had no choice but to turn to the outside world and issued a request for military and police support, which was rare in history.
This call for help is not a trivial fight. Official France made it clear that international geopolitical tensions are growing, and the terrorist threat from the external theater is rising.
In particular, with regard to the security of the Israeli delegation, it is necessary to focus on guarding against it. French Interior Minister Darmanin was not easy either, saying that the police, gendarmerie, local officials and intelligence services were all preparing for the security of the Olympics.
The good news is that 35 countries have already offered to help. Israel and the United States, on the other hand, also intend to send their own professional security teams.
Is this a security issue? It's not that simple. Because support does not mean that all problems are solved, and a series of complex practical problems such as organization and coordination, language communication, etc., must be taken into account.
And the citizens of Paris. For them, the Olympics are not just a sporting event, they are also about their daily lives. Traffic restrictions in the city centre, escalated security checks, and skyrocketing rental prices due to the surge in tourists have a direct impact on the pace of life for Parisians.
Some Parisians are happy because the Olympics bring in a lot of income, but others worry that for those who are already struggling to make ends meet, this could mean even more financial pressure.
At this juncture, the political situation in France is also delicate and complicated. The presidential election has just come to an end, and when the new government takes office, how it handles this international event will have a direct bearing on their political performance. And, let's not forget, the Olympics is also a political arena, and each participating country has its own agenda.
Next, we have to see whether this global event can be successfully opened with the careful preparation of France and the joint efforts of the international community. For those of us ordinary people, in addition to paying attention to the wonderful moments of the game, there may be more thinking about the story behind it.
Every direction, every jump, of the Paris Olympics touches the hearts of sports fans all over the world. And all of this is really happening in our time, not a novel, not a movie, but a realistic version of the Olympic Games in 2024.