Olympic organisers urged to scrap 'RECKLESS' plan to have 10,000 athletes sail down River Seine during Paris opening ceremony, amid terror attack fears

Olympics organisers have been urged to scrap their ‘reckless’ plans to hold the opening ceremony on the River Seine, with some teams said to be considering advising their athletes not to attend because of security fears.

This summer’s Games is due to be the first to stage the ceremony outside of a stadium, with 10,000 athletes set to sail down the Seine on boats in front of 300,000 ticketed spectators watching on from the banks.

However, despite 45,000 police officers being deployed on the night of July 26, security concerns have been heightened in recent weeks.

The French government raised its terror alert warning to the highest level following the Moscow concert hall attack in March, while the Islamic State group threatened to target last month’s Champions League quarter-finals, including one in Paris.

Now an influential athlete pressure group has called for the Games opening ceremony to be moved to the Stade de France, insisting the unprecedented open-air event puts competitors at ‘unnecessary risk’.

‘I think it really needs to be reconsidered and changed,’ Rob Koehler, the director general of Global Athlete, told Mail Sport. ‘It is a little bit reckless. They should scrap it and go back to the stadium.’

Koehler said he is aware that some national Olympic committees are speaking to their respective governments about whether they should tell athletes to stay away from the Seine spectacle.

‘I know of four NOCs doing that,’ he revealed. ‘The risk has always been high but given the current geo-political situation around the world, one would have to say that the risk is higher.

‘If athletes decide to go, that’s their choice, but we will support them if they decide not to go because of concerns of security.’

French president Emmanuel Macron admitted for the first time last month that there were back-up plans in place if the security threat was too great. He said the ceremony could be ‘limited to the Trocadéro’, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, with the Stade de France a last resort.

However, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach insisted last weekend that it would be held on the Seine as originally planned.

‘Bach’s recent comments were concerning,’ added Koehler. ‘They are showing more interest in a spectacular opening ceremony than putting athletes and their safety first.

‘When you are going into a Games with such turmoil around the world, you’d think you might take extra precautions and focus on the sport and not the ceremonies.’

Mail Sport understands the British Olympic Association are confident in the security measures being put in place by organisers and see no reason for their athletes to avoid the ceremony.