France and its capital Paris will certainly go down in history as the organizers of one of the worst competitions in the history of the Olympic movement due to the already revealed serious problems with the organization of the 2024 Summer Olympics, said Irina Rodnina, the Russian three-time figure skating Olympic champion.
"I think that Paris will be the champion, in quotes, in organizing the Olympic Games; in this regard, the organizers will definitely go down in the history of the Olympic movement. [French President Emmanuel] Macron has no choice but to say that the Paris Olympics will be the best in history. As does [the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)] Thomas Bach. They need to save their banners and their positions," she told Sputnik.
Some of the notable problems also included the controversial football match between the men's national teams of Argentina and Morocco that was resumed only two hours after being stopped due to fans running onto the field. The second goal scored by the South Americans was then cancelled due to offside after review, and the score from 2:2 eventually turned into a victory for the Moroccans – 2:1.
Moreover, at the opening ceremony of the Games on Friday, the IOC flag was ceremoniously raised upside down at the climax. Also, the sports delegation of South Korea was introduced as North Korea's team.
The athlete commented on the high level of pollution in the Seine as well.
"You see, if the Seine River was closed for swimming 100 years ago, solely because of the abundance of dirt in it, then what do we want from the organizers now? That in 100 years it has suddenly become cleaner?" Rodnina emphasized.
According to media reports, the level of pollution of the Seine with E. coli exceeded the recommended norm on the day of the demonstration swim of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in the river flowing through the capital. Hidalgo swam in the Seine ahead of the Olympics to prove that it is safe to hold competitions in the river. The head of the organizing committee of the Games, Tony Estanguet, and the prefect of the capital region, Marc Guillaume, took part in the swim along with the mayor. The Seine is to host stages of the Olympic triathlon and open-water swimming tournaments.