Among the 4,340 rejected applications, fewer than a hundred were related to alleged attempts of foreign interference, said Darmanin, who listed Russia and Belarus among the suspected sponsors of these suspected attempts.
“In addition to intelligence and traditional espionage, there’s the possibility of gaining access to computer network gateways to carry out a cyber attack,” Darmanin said. “For example, we have turned away large numbers of ‘journalists’ claiming to be covering the Games.”
Belarusian and Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Games on the condition of competing as Individual Neutral Athletes and not under their country’s colors and only after having undergone a vetting process to ensure that they do not support the invasion of Ukraine or have ties with the military. The International Olympic Committee has come under scrutiny after it was reported that one of its two Russian members held the rank of major in the Russian army.
The Paris Games will kick off Friday with a boat show along the River Seine in the heart of the French capital, the first-ever open-air opening ceremony. While fears of a security incident on opening day have been reported on since the start of the organization process, Darmanin reaffirmed that there was “no clear threat” with less than a week to go.
