Paris Olympics 2024: IOC President Thomas Bach says political turmoil in France won't affect the Summer Games

With the Paris Olympics 2024 fast approaching, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach stated on Monday, June 10, that the political tension in France won't affect preparations for the Summer Games. The Paris Olympics 2024 is scheduled to commence on July 26.

Thomas Bach made the statement after France President Emmanuel Macron sent a shock wave across the country with his call for new parliamentary elections.

Macron's call for a snap election came after the far-right party National Rally thumped his party in the European Parliament vote on Sunday. A couple of voting rounds are set to be held on June 30 and July 7. The latter comes less than three weeks before the Games are scheduled to begin.

“France is used to holding elections, they will do it one more time, there will be a new government and everyone will support the Olympics," Thomas Bach said during a Paris 2024 run-up event in Paris (via The Hindu).

“I have no indication whatsoever that this unity will break now only a couple of days before the Games open,” he further said.

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President Emmanuel Macron's call for new parliamentary elections close to the Olympics 'hard to understand'

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, also a socialist, expressed her views on President Emmanuel Macron's call for new parliamentary elections. She said she was "having a hard time understanding" why Macron decided to put the country in a politically uncertain state so close to the Olympic Games.

Anne also termed the move by the President "one more coup". Meanwhile, Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet also jumped into the conversation, stating his team was "more determined than ever" to host the Games successfully.

“There were around ten elections since we launched the candidacy for the Olympics and we understood how to work with the public actors,” he said (via The Hindu).

Further, the Paris Olympics 2024 organizers (in a statement to Reuters) added that they were ready to deliver the Games after seven years of preparation, to help unite the nation.

"With just a few weeks to go before the Games, we have entered a highly operational phase. All the major decisions have been taken a long time ago," the statement read.

"The state is obviously a key player, but we know that we can count on their full engagement and that of our public services, even in the context of these early elections, to move forward on the remaining issues," the statement concluded.