Posted: 2024-06-05 05:47:44

The Australian Olympic Committee says it is well briefed on security plans for the Paris Olympics, amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

Security for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony will be so tight that even Australian embassy staff will need special passes to enter and leave their compound.

The embassy is within walking distance from the River Seine, which will host the Games opening ceremony on July 26.

The river setting is a security nightmare and Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said the immediate area will be locked down for the ceremony.

It will feature athletes being paraded on barges along the Seine, instead of the usual procession inside the main Olympic stadium.

"The French authorities are wrapping the opening ceremony, as you can only expect, in very heavy security," Carroll told reporters on Wednesday.

"Security is very much about locking down an area around the river."

The Australian team, which will number about 460 people, is still being selected and Carroll was unsure how many of them will take part in the opening ceremony.

A view shows the Pulse building, the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics organising committee,.

The Australian Federal Police will have a presence with the Australian Olympic team staff during the Games.(Reuters: Stephanie Lecocq)

Given the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, there will be plenty of geopolitical security issues for Paris Olympic organisers.

Carroll would not be drawn on whether the security situation ahead of Paris was greater than for previous Olympics.

He noted there were concerns about North Korea's intentions ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

"We have confidence that the French and other nations are very much focused on it," Carroll said.

"We have the Australian Federal Police (AFP) looking after us, the embassy has been connected with us.

"We're very confident in the Australian government services provided to the Australian Olympic team."

An AFP officer will be part of the Australian Olympic team staff during the Games.

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