Israeli Contingent Comfortable Ahead Of Olympic Opening, IOC President Praises French Authorities: They Are Very Professional

Israeli athletes ahead of departure for Paris for the 2024 Olympics. (Instagram/olympicteamiIsrael)

JAKARTA - The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) praised the performance of French authorities to ensure security, saying the Israeli contingent was comfortable with the security measures taken ahead of the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics the day after tomorrow.

The four-year multi-pronged sporting event will begin Friday, amid real security concerns as well as rising geopolitical tensions over the war in Gaza and Ukraine.

As long as they are in Paris, Israeli athletes will be protected around the clock. At the 1972 Munich Olympics, 11 Israelis were killed by militants in an attack on the Olympic village where they were staying.

"In connection with the security of Israeli athletes, we have full trust in French authorities," IOC President Thomas Bach told a news conference.

"The French authorities are responsible for security. They work very closely, work very professionally, working with 180 other international intelligence agencies to gather all the information," he praised.

"You could say, almost all over the world with very few exceptions. They contribute to making this Olympics safe and secure," he said.

In addition to the French security forces, the Israeli contingent will be guarded by security forces they brought from their country to protect athletes during the upcoming Olympics.

"Israeli athletes since 1972 have always taken additional security measures of their own and this time they did," Bach said.

"They feel comfortable with this situation as we know from their contact with them," he said.

Earlier, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Israeli athletes would receive 24-hour protection during the 2024 Paris Olympics, after a left-wing lawmaker said the Israeli contingent was not accepted and called for protests against their participation.

Darmanin spoke after lawmaker from France Unbowed's left-wing (LFI) party, Thomas Portes, was recorded on a video recording saying Israeli Olympic athletes were not accepted in France, there should be protests against their participation in the Olympics.

Regarding calls for Israel to be expelled from the Olympics in an open letter to him, Bach said he would not be involved in political discussions.

"The position of the IOC is very clear. We have two national Olympic committees (NOC). Both have coexisted peacefully. The Olympics are competitions not between countries, but between outlets," he explained.

"If we enter political discussions related to war and conflict, at Friday's opening ceremony we may end up with 100 NOC and not 206 NOC, if we violate our political extinction," Bach said.