SRF correspondent Mirjam Mathis: “The Olympic Games will be a very big challenge”

Blick: What dominates about four months before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris: the expectation or the fear of possible terrorist attacks?
Mirjam Mathis: There’s no real Olympic euphoria or anticipation here – more concern and resentment.

What are people’s main concerns?
This concerns, for example, safety, the feared traffic chaos and the expected rising prices in all sectors.

Organizers are desperate for private security guards. It is said that around 20,000 people are still missing.
Yes, that’s a big topic. The Association of Private Security Forces even speaks of a much greater shortage. Even without the Olympics, France would be short of about 20,000 security forces. And the games will require another 25,000 private security guards.

Which people are recruited there?
Students, unemployed and recently also retirees. The condition is that you are over 18 years old. Interested parties receive three weeks of training. The question is how seriously the selection can be taken given this enormous staff shortage.

Many women are also wanted because men are not allowed to touch women. Are enough women coming forward?
No, but recruiting men is also a problem.

There are also problems with the Olympic Games in police circles. Why the dissatisfaction?
Because a general holiday ban for the police has been imposed during the Olympic and Paralympic Games – but these are school holidays. Many are affected directly and in their families. Every police officer now receives a special bonus of between 1,000 and 1,900 euros in compensation, depending on where he is deployed.

What role does the military play in the security posture of the games?
The plan currently is for 10,000 soldiers to be stationed in the east of Paris. The number is likely to rise further.

Heated discussions arise about the opening ceremony, as for the first time it will not take place in a small stadium, but on and along the Seine. Securing an area of ​​six kilometers is much more complicated than a stadium. Why this extra risk?
After a hundred years, Paris is once again hosting the Olympic Games. You want to offer the world and your own people a unique, grandiose spectacle. The idea of ​​the opening ceremony on the Seine is quite crazy, but it is guaranteed to make for fantastic TV images. They consciously want to draw attention to the historical places, the monuments of Paris. For example, beach volleyball is played in front of the Eiffel Tower and fights take place in the Grand Palais.

Is this opening ceremony justified given the tense security situation?
The challenges for the organizers are enormous. And the plans are already being adjusted. So 600,000 spectators will no longer be admitted as planned, but only 300,000. Tickets for the ceremony now cost a maximum of 2,500 euros. And the free tickets promised to the population have not yet been reserved.

On November 13, 2015, Paris was rocked by Islamist terrorist attacks. Have the residents overcome this trauma?
It is amazing how pragmatically people here deal with the threat of terrorism. I think the authorities are thinking and worrying about this a lot more – and that is necessary. What went wrong then, what should we do better, how can we prevent this from happening in the future?

The Champions League final will take place at the Stade de France in 2022. There were chaotic scenes outside the entrances. The police completely overreacted and used tear gas. There were 230 injured. Not the best advertisement for the Olympic Games in terms of safety. Is this incident in Paris still a problem?
This incident was a shock and has long been a major issue regarding the Olympic Games. An independent report was drawn up at the time that established UEFA’s main responsibility, but the police’s dealings with fans were also heavily criticized. Unfortunately, French police are known for not hesitating to use tear gas or batons. Last year she was criticized for this by the Council of Europe during the demonstrations over pension reforms.

President Emmanuel Macron is under great pressure in his own country. What are his largest construction sites at the moment?
Macron is currently confronted with the dissatisfaction of farmers. They are on the barricades because of environmental regulations and a lot of red tape. His fundamental problem is that he does not have a majority in parliament, that he is attacked from both the left and the right and that he must either implement his ideas, such as pension reform, himself or make compromises. . He is also repeatedly accused of not understanding normal people and their daily lives.

Would a smooth Olympics help him politically?
Probably not politically, but his popularity ratings would rise slightly again. He knows how to present himself and is a self-confessed sports fan. He will certainly want to take advantage of the platform that the Olympic Games offer him.

The Olympic village is located in the problem district of Saint-Denis in the north of Paris – a well-chosen location?
In principle I like the idea. Here, an entire area is sustainably upgraded by constructing and renewing infrastructure. After the games, the athletes’ accommodation will be converted into social and family apartments and offices. For example, the newly built Aquatics Centre, where the water sports competitions will take place, will be available to the residents of Saint-Denis after the games. So these are investments in the future. But here too, the safety issue during the Olympic Games is an enormous challenge.

Swimming competitions also take place in the Seine. A lot of money was spent cleaning the river for the Olympics. For the past hundred years it has not been possible to bathe in the Seine. That sounds like great prospects for the Parisians.
Well, the idea of ​​having fun in the Seine from 2025 does not cause much euphoria among the population. But this is the big and ambitious goal of the Parisian city council: 1.4 billion euros were invested in expanding and improving the infrastructure. The water quality is now much better, but pollution prevented all test events for the Olympic Games from taking place last summer. It is not yet certain whether there will actually be swimming in the Seine during the Olympic Games.

A radical union recently presented a strike plan for public transport during the Paris Olympics – is this just saber-rattling?
My experience in France was that this is more than just empty threats. For example, last week the Eiffel Tower was closed for six days due to a strike. The unions are traditionally strong here and the French are strike-friendly and willing to go to extremes. A public transport strike during the Olympics would actually lead to total chaos.

Even without strikes, Paris faces major traffic problems. During the Olympic Games, 600,000 to 800,000 travelers are expected every day. And this in a system that is already overloaded even without the games. How should that work?
Besides safety, traffic congestion is another major problem that needs to be solved. It must be said that many of the construction sites that are currently making traffic difficult will be cleared by the summer. A lot has been invested in expanding public transport, which will ensure that the infrastructure is better than it is now. But of course traffic problems cannot be avoided with this crowd. Progress in Paris this summer will be three to five times slower than in normal times.

Which also applies to the residents.
And that brings us to the dissatisfaction I mentioned at the beginning. Parisians are already being asked to avoid public spaces during the Olympics. As a result, many people will leave the city during this time, perhaps rent their apartment to Olympic visitors, but then leave.

They will stay in Paris, report on the opening ceremony of SRF on July 26 and provide background stories afterwards. Are you already worried about the Olympic Games?
Yes, we are in the middle of preparations. My team is currently mainly concerned with logistics issues. Normally we carry a lot of equipment with us when conducting research, large cameras and a lot of luggage. Now we are looking for leaner solutions, also when it comes to traffic. Maybe we’ll try cargo bikes. One thing is clear: the Olympic Games will also be a challenge for us journalists.