PARIS (Reuters) – International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Monday that political unrest in France would not affect preparations for the Summer Olympics, after French President Emmanuel Macron shocked the country by calling for new parliamentary elections.
Macron called snap elections after his far-right National Party defeated his own party in Sunday’s European Parliament vote. Two rounds of voting will take place on June 30 and July 7, the latter less than three weeks before the Olympics.
“France is used to having elections, they will hold them again, there will be a new government and everyone will support the Olympics,” Bach said during the build-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris, adding that French political leaders United to show their support for the Olympics.
“I have no indication that this unity will break down in the days leading up to the Olympics,” he said.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Socialist, said she had “difficulty understanding” why Macron chose to plunge the country into political uncertainty so close to the Olympics, calling the move “yet another coup” by the president.
Paris 2024 organizer Tony Estanguet said his team was “more determined than ever” to make the Games a success. “There have been around ten elections since we launched our Olympic candidacy and we understand how to work with public actors.”
