But for me, the most breathtaking and most alarming number may be the one that no one has ever counted, except perhaps the French security forces. It's tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of windows, nearly vertical, overlooking the July 26 opening ceremony. The four-mile stretch of the Seine runs through the heart of Paris, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to its banks.
In the 2017 Las Vegas concert massacre, a lone gunman opened fire through a single hotel window, killing scores and injuring hundreds. The Paris opening ceremony is a completely different event, in a completely different location, with a very different (and certainly better) safety plan in place.
Still, it's worth asking. France, home to Europe's two deadliest terrorist attacks in the past decade (including the Paris attacks that began in the same stadium that will host many of this year's Olympic games), has put appropriate levels of physical security in place. Can it be secured? Is it on a scale that has never been attempted before in a tournament?
That's not a killjoy question. This is a key question that French officials themselves have been preoccupied with since plans for the opening ceremony were announced two years ago.
For the first time, organizers shouted that the ceremony would take place “not in a stadium, but in the heart of Paris,” as 160 boats carrying athletes marched down the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower. They pointed out that at least 600,000 spectators (10 times more than at almost any stadium event) will watch the spectacle “live” along the route, which is one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in the world.
This “bold choice,” as they called it, certainly represents a great chance for the Olympics to attract more spectators than ever before. To renew Paris' brand as one of the world's most coveted destinations. And for President Emmanuel Macron, whose defining characteristic is unbridled ambition, he wants to leave an unforgettable visual legacy for his final term in office.
But it is also true that terrorist groups and lone wolves can hardly count on such a wealth of opportunities. “What terrorist organization would not want an event of this magnitude to attract attention?” said a senior Western official in Paris.
For France's security forces, the Olympics are an absolutely essential mission, and the French police, military and special forces are widely recognized as competent and capable.
They plan to deploy algorithmic camera surveillance technology to screen potential perpetrators, a plan approved by a French court despite staunch opposition from privacy advocates. Tens of thousands of police, soldiers and private security personnel will be deployed on and near the ceremony route. Snipers will monitor windows and roofs along the river, and electronic jamming will deter enemy drones attempting to fly near the event.
Also, despite the presence of illegal firearms in France, legal gun ownership is far less widespread than in the United States, especially the military-style guns frequently used by American mass shooters. The proliferation of assault rifles will also be a boon for security agencies.
But French authorities still face an event that is too large, too open, and too vulnerable to provide security comparable to other large-scale events. The difference is simply a difference in scale.
Clues have emerged suggesting that French security officials are secretly nervous. One was last month's announcement that the number of ticketed spectators allowed on the banks of the Seine for the opening ceremony would be halved from 600,000 to 300,000.
In another incident in December, former French police chief Frédéric Pechenard called for a “Plan B” for the opening ceremony after a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower. Sports Minister Amélie Oudea Castella, who is in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, acknowledged the possibility of “adjustments” but rejected them.
Olympic host countries routinely seek to capitalize on their moment in the spotlight, weighing their ambitions against security realities and being mindful of past atrocities at the Games. These include the 1972 attack by Palestinian gunmen at the Munich Games, which killed 11 Israeli athletes, and the 1996 Atlanta bombing, which killed one person and injured 111 others. It will be done.
The question is whether the French strike a wise balance between boldness and safety. If they succeed, the Paris Games will be hailed as the most spectacular in history. When a serious incident occurs, the impact is relentless.
It was French revolutionary Georges Danton who elevated boldness to the level of national identity. “We must be bold, try again, and continue boldly!” he told the nation's Legislative Assembly in 1792.
But sometimes bold moves don't work out. Two years later, Danton lost his head at the guillotine.
