USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland speaks at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 © Getty Images

US Olympic chiefs on Thursday expressed confidence in security for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a deadly weekend attack in the French capital.

Officials in the United States and Europe have recently warned of an increased threat of attacks since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

The French government insisted this week that plans for the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony - which would see athletes parade down the River Seine in a float - would go ahead, despite media reports that security forces were worried the ceremony could be vulnerable to attack.

Asked if US officials had raised concerns about security for the opening ceremony, Sarah Hirshland, chief executive of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), said: "The authorities are extraordinarily aware of the current climate.

The torch's presentation on the river Seine, as the landmark Eiffel Tower is seen in background, in Paris © Getty Images
The torch's presentation on the river Seine, as the landmark Eiffel Tower is seen in background, in Paris © Getty Images

"As you can imagine, the safety and security of Team USA athletes and frankly our entire delegation is our number one priority," Hirshland told reporters on a conference call reported by AFP.

"We are in very close contact with French officials, both the French embassies in the United States and the U.S. embassies in France," she added.

"Our governments are aligned, we have a pretty robust security effort in place and we will continue to have that."

"I would tell you that at this point, while everyone is extraordinarily aware of the environment in which we all live and work today, we are confident that those discussions are satisfactory and that the plans that need to be in place are in place."