Chief organiser Tony Estanguet has said Paris is “ready” to host the Olympic Games, playing down complaints from some residents and businesses about their impact.Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the City of Light and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in.
The opening ceremony is set to take place on the river Seine on Friday, the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium.
The vast security operation for the ceremony is causing some friction, however, with large parts of central Paris along the river’s banks and around Games venues off-limits for most people.
Trade groups representing Paris shops, restaurants, bars and clubs have complained that they were facing an “unprecedented slump in business and footfall”, blaming in part the “heavy security measures”.
Source: AFP
