With just six months to go until the start of the Paris Olympic Games, the clock is ticking for the organising committee. Political bickering, ongoing grumbling about ticket prices and disruption to everyday life are souring the mood in the build-up to the Paris Olympics this July -- something organisers blame on typical French pessimism. Several recent announcements have led to a spike in negative publicity for the sporting mega-event, which will draw a television audience of billions. Many Parisians were dismayed in December by news that transport ticket prices are set to double for the duration of the event and that they should work from home to free up seats on busy metros and buses. The unveiling of planned security measures led to claims some parts of the city would face Covid-style lockdowns, while controversy erupted about the environmental impact of a judges' tower at the surfing venue in French Polynesia. However, Paris 2024 organisers remain confident that sights such as beach volleyball in front of the Eiffel Tower, swimming in the Seine, or the marathon through the capital's fabled streets will lift spirits once the flame is lit on 26 July.
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00:00 A hundred years after it hosted its last Olympic Games, Paris is gearing up to welcome more
00:06 than 10,000 athletes and some 15 million visitors this summer.
00:11 With only six months to go until the 2024 Paris Olympics, the clock is ticking for the
00:17 organizing committee.
00:19 The Games, advertised as the greenest in history, are relying on as many existing and temporary
00:25 structures as possible.
00:26 "The first imperative to be ready is to deliver all the infrastructure.
00:30 We are on time everywhere and we are even ahead."
00:34 In the northwest of Paris, the legendary Yves de Manoir Stadium was at the heart of the
00:38 1924 Paris Olympic Games.
00:41 A century later, the site has been refurbished and is ready to host hockey events.
00:47 Only three new facilities will be built for the 2024 Olympics.
00:51 O'Nedia Centre, the Saint-Denis Aquatic Centre and the Athletes' Village, which, after delays,
00:58 organisers now say will be finished on time and within budget.
01:02 "Today, we have 1.7 billion euros in public funds to build the Olympic structures.
01:06 We have 1.7 billion euros, we are consuming 1.7 billion euros, no more, no less."
01:10 With thousands of athletes arriving from every corner of the world, it is Chef Charles Gouyeau's
01:15 job to ensure nutritional needs are met.
01:18 "40,000 meals a day, all for 206 delegations.
01:21 It's a real culinary challenge, a real logistical challenge."
01:27 After the Games, up to 6,000 people will be able to live in the Athletes' Village, built
01:32 in Saint-Denis, the poorest region in mainland France.
01:39 Construction work is almost complete, but there is growing concern about transport.
01:43 The Paris region is already home to more than 12 million people, and with millions more
01:48 expected to visit during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, there are fears that the already stretched
01:54 transport network will not be able to cope.
01:58 While the event is ongoing, and to help cover costs, the price of a metro ticket is set
02:02 to almost double.
02:03 "On transport, there is still work to be done.
02:04 We are not jumping like crazy, saying everything is easy, everything is ready, everything is
02:11 finished."
02:12 Authorities are encouraging people living in the Paris region to work from home during
02:17 the Olympic Games, and to take holidays when possible.
02:21 With a massive security operation in place, law enforcement officers, however, will have
02:26 to stay put.
02:28 30,000 police officers and 15,000 soldiers will be mobilised for the event, with tens
02:34 of thousands of private security guards present at fan zones and venues.
02:40 The Games will also see unprecedented levels of technological surveillance.
02:44 Drones and AI-powered cameras will be in place to detect suspicious crowd movements.
02:49 "France has organised these big events, capable of having a million and a half people on the
02:55 Champs-Élysées without any problems.
02:56 I put a lot of resources, a lot of energy, so that we can have the most secure Olympic
03:02 Games."
03:03 Most of the events will be held in Paris and the surrounding region.
03:07 However, Games for team sports such as football, handball or basketball will take place in
03:13 major cities across France.
03:16 The southern city of Marseille will host sailing events, while surfing will be held in the
03:21 French Pacific island of Tahiti, 15,000 kilometres from Paris.
03:26 A new aluminium tower that will be used by judges during the competition there has been
03:30 the subject of debate for months, after works damaged the coral reef.
03:34 "For Olympic Games, which are said to be the greenest in the history of Olympic Games,
03:40 that's how we were sold, that's how we were sold in the media, and for the most
03:44 natural sport, we will succeed in damaging the environment."
03:47 Environmentalists and surfers were outraged by the damage, but authorities say construction
03:52 is now continuing under strict supervision.
03:56 The economic benefits that the Games will bring to Paris and France as a whole is another
04:01 question.
04:02 The cost of hosting the Olympics is estimated by the organising committee at nearly 9 billion
04:08 euros, while revenue from selling of TV rides, merchandise, partnerships and ticket sales
04:15 is estimated at 4 billion euros.
04:18 "I looked at the prices, which are quite high, so it's not at all accessible to everyone."
04:26 Two thirds of the tickets have already been snapped up, with prices ranging from 24 euros
04:31 to 2,700 euros.
04:32 "I think our tariff grid is within the norm, let's say, of these exceptional moments."
04:41 One billion people around the world are expected to watch the opening ceremony, and for the
04:46 first time in the history of the Olympic Games, it will take place not in a stadium, but on
04:51 Paris' iconic River Seine.
04:54 Notoriously polluted, the river is being cleaned up in time for the Olympic Games.
05:00 With the Paris mayor promising to take a plunge in July.
05:04 Residents will be allowed their turn at a swim once the Olympic and Paralympic Games
05:08 come to a close.
05:10 "I'm not going to be able to swim, but I'm going to be able to swim." -Paris Mayor Jean-Claude Juncker-
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