The capital has begun bringing in thousands of soldiers who will make sure the event runs smoothly.
ADVERTISEMENTFrench soldiers have arrived in Paris to provide security for the Olympic Games, some of them having just completed missions in Mali or Afghanistan.
Their latest mission, though, will be rather different.
“Our mission will be to secure the Olympic and Paralympic sites,» Ankhena, a reservist with the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, said, «it’s a mission we know very well and for which we are trained, as reservists as well as soldiers.”
A newly built military camp — named after the late French long-distance runner and Olympian Corporal Alain Mimoun — is strategically located for operations across Paris and can accommodate 4,500 soldiers.
Personnel will be housed in chalets on stilts, with fifteen people per dormitory.
The military base has an infirmary, sanitary facilities and a refectory, all built in just 65 days.
Camp leaders are impressed by that feat.
“After more than 40 years in the army, this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of achievement. Since World War II, it’s the biggest camp ever built in Paris,» said Colonel Michel Bergier, Camp Corporal Alain Mimoun manager.
The Games kick off next Friday.
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