Paris 2024: IOC unfazed by French strike threats from trade unions during the Olympic Games

At the end of its last inspection of French preparations before the start of the Olympics on July 26, senior IOC official Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant said he was “full of confidence”.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of Paris-2024 | Photo Credit: AFP

The International Olympic Committee expressed confidence Friday in French preparations for the Paris Games and said it was “not worried” about the risk of strikes from trade unions.

At the end of its last inspection of French preparations before the start of the Olympics on July 26, senior IOC official Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant said he was “full of confidence”.

Asked about strike threats, the head of the IOC’s coordination commission for the Paris Games replied: “We don’t have any worries. There’s a dialogue underway.”

“At this stage, we’re very confident that solutions will be found because there’s a collective desire to see the Paris Games be the celebration they deserve to be,” he added.

Trade unions representing workers across France’s public services have been pushing for bonuses and extra resources for their members who will have to work through the summer holidays during the Games.

On Thursday, the hard-left CGT union said it planned to file formal strike notices for people working in central and local government offices during the Olympics and Paralympics, which run until September 8.

The CGT branch representing Paris metro workers has already filed a strike notice for the same period.

Ahead of the 1998 football World Cup in France, the last time the country hosted such a major sporting event, pilots at national carrier Air France went on strike on the eve of kick-off along with taxi drivers and other transport workers.

Beckers-Vieujant played down the significance of recent criticism of the Games in France and negative press coverage.

“It’s obvious that the months preceding the Olympic Games are not the easiest,” he said, explaining how construction work and other disturbances affect host countries and their populations.

“It’s customary to see a fall in public support in the run-up to the Games... it’s not a surprise and no different from what we’ve seen before previous editions.”

Around two million tickets remain to be sold for the Olympics, including a million for the football, according to the Paris organising committee.

A final release of tickets for all sports will be carried out around April 17, 100 days from the start.