From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French minister says
Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France’s interior minister says about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling for a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Olympics — one of the security challenges that Paris is cracking down on in its goal to keep the Games safe for athletes and fans.
About 1 million background checks have scrutinized Olympic volunteers, workers and others involved in the Games as well as those applying for passes to enter the most tightly controlled security zone in Paris — along the banks of the Seine — ahead of the opening ceremony on the river Friday.
The checks have blocked about 5,000 people from attending, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says. Out of them, “there are 1,000 people whom we suspect of foreign interference — we can say spying,” Darmanin says.
Darmanin, who is staying on in a caretaker role until a new government is formed following legislative elections this month that denied French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition a majority, has repeatedly pointed to suspicions of Russia-backed interference.
“We’re here to make sure… that sport isn’t used for spying, for cyberattacks or to criticize and sometimes even lie about France and the French,” Darmanin says.
He adds that “interfering and manipulating information” is not coming from Russia only but from some other countries, too, which he does not name. He also doesn’t give more information on the suspected meddling.
“That’s why we’re on the alert, and we want them to know that we’re not naive,” he says.
Others blocked from the Olympics after background checks have been flagged for suspected Islamic radicalization, left- or right-wing political extremism, significant criminal records and other security concerns, Darmanin says.
