The third Olympic Games organised by France in its history are just around the corner. Next Wednesday, 8 May, the Olympic flame will reach the Mediterranean coast of Marseille, marking the start of major security measures in Paris and mainland France. "From 8 May to 10 September, there will be no turning back," a senior official at the Interior Ministry told AFP, where meetings on the Olympic and Paralympic Games are held almost daily.

The first stage of this "unprecedented security challenge" is the arrival of the flame aboard the sailing ship Belem in Marseille, with a major deployment of 6,000 law enforcement officers who will accompany other ships arriving in the host country.

In addition to the municipal police and other security forces, "never before" in the history of France's second city has "so much security been deployed", according to Mayor Benoît Payan. The flame will then embark on a long journey of 12,000 kilometres, passing through more than 400 locations in the country, including its overseas territories, before arriving in Paris on 26 July for the grand opening ceremony being preparedin the European Union's second largest economy.

Along its route, the flame will be protected by a "bubble" of 115 police officers and gendarmes, backed up by a hundred mobile units. The aim is to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2008, when the torch relay through Paris ahead of the Beijing Games had to be interrupted after incidents involving demonstrators denouncing China's policy in Tibet.

During its journey to Sydney for the 2000 Games, a spectator with no apparent motivation took the torch from surfer Tom Carroll and attempted to throw it into the harbour at Kiama, south of the city, before being restrained on the ground. A high school student also tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher.

In 2012, the Olympic flame, said to be eternal, had to be rekindled after a gust of wind extinguished it while being carried by Paralympic badminton star David Follett in south-west England.

In the event of a terrorist attack, the GIGN, the elite unit of the Gendarmerie, will be responsible for intervening. Its members will be "close to the flames at all times", Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin recently declared. There will also be an anti-drone device to "keep at a distance" any flying device that could be used for terrorist or disruptive purposes.

The Olympic Games (first events on 24 July, opening ceremony on 26 July and closing ceremony on 11 August) and the Paralympic Games (28 August to 8 September) will take place in a context of high terrorist risk, with the "Vigipirate" anti-terrorism plan already at its highest level since 24 March, following the attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group

The advantage is that "we have prepared the Games in a state of maximum security, the context is not a surprise," another senior Interior Ministry official said.

Even if there is currently "no" specific threat to the Games, as the authorities repeat, "the threat is very high", a security source recently explained, and "the international context does not help to reduce it, on the contrary", he added, citing the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

The "endogenous" or "internal" threat remains the main one, as demonstrated by the recent attacks in Arras (northern France) in October 2023 or at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in December. Home visits or administrative searches are on the increase and will continue to "increase in intensity" until the Games, the senior ministry official added.

The first point of attention for the anti-terrorist services during the Olympic period: "The massive flow of visitors, among whom malicious individuals could be found," the security source added. Another risk is that of manipulation and information interference, with the aim of "damaging the reputation by giving more importance to minor incidents." In terms of social protests, the authorities expect that environmentalist or far-left groups could use the torch relay as a "media opportunity."

However, this source remains optimistic: "The torch relay is like securing the Tour de France, but at 4 km/h. At this speed, it is possible to "anticipate" or "surround" a possible protest action. Given the level of protection around the flame, "it will take real determination to extinguish it".