More than half of French adults in a new poll believe Paris will not be “ready to host” the Olympics this summer, according to Lisa Roche of the DESERET NEWS. The poll, conducted for Europe 1 radio, featured 1,013 adults throughout France. It found only 47% of the French see the country as ready to host the Paris Games, while 52% say that France is unprepared. The divide “widens, though, when politics come into play.” Two-thirds of those who align with France’s Socialist Party believe the Games are good to go, while 67% of members of the far-right party, formerly known as the National Front, say the opposite. The results come as France "grapples with increased security worries" stemming from international events including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the threat of Islamic extremist attacks. Also contributing to concerns about the Paris Games is the “controversial” decision by the IOC to permit Russians and Belarusians to “compete as neutral athletes.” France’s AFP News reported that “nearly 2,200 reinforcements have been sought” from 46 countries to bolster Olympics security “in certain critical areas, such as dog-handling capabilities where the needs are enormous.” Poland Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that the Polish Armed Forces is "sending a 'task force of our soldiers, including dog handlers,' to join the international coalition established by France" (DESERET NEWS, 4/1).
