Paris ¨C The attacks that disrupted France¡¯s high-speed rail system did not impact the Japanese delegation in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
A series of attacks, including arson, occurred on Friday, hours before the planned start of an ambitious opening ceremony that will see athletes ride boats down a 6-km stretch of the River Seine. More than 10,000 athletes and thousands of spectators will attend the opening ceremony, which will be the first held outside of a stadium.
Mitsugi Ogata, head of the Japanese delegation, said there was no disruption to Team Japan.
¡°There are no issues at all at this time,¡± he said.
According to the Associated Press, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal described the attacks as ¡°acts of sabotage,¡± which were ¡°prepared and coordinated.¡±
French railway company SNCF said it was ¡°the victim of several acts of malintent.¡±
The attacks also impacted Eurostar, which will divert some trains between London and Paris ¡°due to coordinated acts of vandalism in France.¡±
The situation will affect an estimated 800,000 passengers.
Ogata said Japanese officials will keep the athletes updated on the situation.
¡°This is an international sporting event, so we must prepare for the unexpected,¡± Ogata said. ¡°We must make sure to gather information and communicate. We will remain vigilant so we can handle anything that may occur.¡±
The attacks put a rain cloud over the final runup to the opening ceremony.
¡°The Olympics and Paralympics have to take place safely,¡± Japan¡¯s Deputy Chef de Mission Kosei Inoue said. ¡°I hope that happens. Because of what is happening around the world, it is even more important for athletes to come together and communicate the value of sports. We want to contribute to that.¡±
Japan continued its preparations for the Games on Friday, and officials reported the atmosphere in the athletes village was relaxed.
Inoue said Japan is targeting 27 gold medals and 56 overall in Paris. The Japanese had a successful showing at the Tokyo Games three years ago, finishing third on the medal table with 27 gold medals and 58 overall.
The nation sent just over 400 athletes to France, its largest delegation for an overseas Olympics.
Around 10,500 athletes from 206 national delegations will compete in Paris.
¡°This is a major event,¡± Ogata said. ¡°So I think tremendous effort went into the preparation. We want to express our gratitude to the citizens of France and citizens of Paris for their efforts.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.