PARIS — The soundtrack to the Opening Ceremony wasn’t only Celine Dion and Lady Gaga.
The wail of police sirens also serenade those who watched from the banks of the iconic river Seine.
There was a massive police presence throughout Paris on Friday as the French government sought to keep the Opening Ceremony secure from any potential threats. Uniformed officers were everywhere on Friday morning, even in locations nowhere near the Seine.
By Friday evening, police imposed an airtight security perimeter around the Seine, barricaded streets to control the flow of traffic and escorted athletes and dignitaries through the chaos. The closer you got to the parade route or to the final destination of the Olympic flame, the more metal barriers, police vans and gun-toting officers you encountered.
The presence of up to 45,000 police was necessary because of the security risk this first-of-its-kind Opening Ceremony posed. Athletes didn’t walk around the perimeter of a stadium. They paraded down the Seine on boats.
Source Agencies
