Olympic committee opens up on cancelling Paris Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has dismissed speculation about a cancellation or postponement of the upcoming Paris Games due to the political situation in France.

It said it was part of a disinformation campaign.

Reports had suggested that IOC president Thomas Bach was concerned after France’s far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, topped the first round of voting for a new parliament.

The second round of voting is set for Sunday.

Magazine Le Point had suggested that Bach had given a mid-July deadline, whether the Games would go ahead as planned July 26 to Aug. 11, but the IOC was quick to dismiss this.

“This is obviously part of the on-going disinformation campaign against France, the IOC, and its president, and the Olympic Games.

“It has no factual basis whatsoever,” the IOC said late Wednesday on platform X.

“The IOC president and the entire Olympic movement are looking forward with great anticipation to excellent Olympic Games Paris 2024,”he said.

French organisers said they would investigate the origin of the reports, and sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra dismissed them as “indecent fake news” on X.

“Our Games will indeed be held in Paris, on the scheduled dates. We have been preparing for them for years; they will bring happiness to the whole world and pride to our country,” she said.