French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra addressed the media on Friday morning, emphatically stating that malicious acts of sabotage will not disrupt the ongoing preparations for the Olympics. This statement comes in response to the recent arson attacks that paralyzed France’s high-speed rail network just hours before the opening ceremony.
Speaking from the heart of the Olympic preparations, Minister Oudéa-Castéra described the recent events as deliberate attempts to destabilize the country. “What happened was merely the first, not the last of the difficulties we’ll face. This type of malicious, coordinated action is probably an act of sabotage. What remains to be established is the precise intent,” she explained.
Oudéa-Castéra reassured the public and the international community that France is fully prepared to handle such crises. “We’re not going to let ourselves be destabilized; we had anticipated all these scenarios. All these crisis scenarios have been thought through. We’re a French team behind the success of these games. You can see it in the way things have gone, in the continuity of communications. All this shows that we’re ready to handle crises.”
She strongly condemned the attacks, emphasizing their impact on athletes and young people worldwide. “They’re not going to spoil the party by doing this. I condemn in the strongest terms, when you do that, when you act against the Olympics, you act against athletes who have devoted their lives to these things. They’re damaging the dreams of young people who wanted to be inspired by all this.”
Highlighting the global significance of the Olympic Games, Oudéa-Castéra noted, “These Games are for a whole country, a whole world; we’ve got 206 delegations here, let’s not let them spoil the party. Tonight’s exceptional ceremony demonstrates the quality of all the security measures. We’re going to do everything we can today to ensure that repairs are carried out as quickly as possible.”
