Alleged gang rape of Australian rattles Paris days before 2024 Olympics opening ceremony

The alleged gang rape of an Australian woman in Paris just days before the Olympic Opening Ceremonies has put the city – and visiting athletic teams – on edge ahead of the global sporting event.

The 25-year-old raised the alarm in the early hours of Saturday, France’s Le Parisien newspaper reported, adding that the “disoriented” woman entered a local restaurant on the famed Boulevard de Clichy in the Pigalle neighbourhood, wearing her dress backward.

The Paris prosecutor’s office told the newspaper that a “gang rape” was likely carried out between Friday and Saturday and that officials are investigating.

Australian athletes in Paris had been made aware of the alleged attack, Strath Gordon, chief of public affairs and communication for Australia’s Olympic team, said in an email Tuesday.

“They are advised not to wear team kit when in public places,” Gordon said, though he noted the athletes had not received any threats since landing in France and were “getting on with their preparations for the Games”.

Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, promised last year that the French capital would be “the safest place in the world” when the Olympic Games begin this summer.

However, hosting an event as big as the Olympics has triggered mounting security concerns in France, where officials have grappled with how to balance public – and athletes’ – safety with an event they want to be open to all.

During the games, security officials will be juggling myriad threats including terrorist attacks, cyberattacks, crowd crushes and the impact of potential labor strikes.

In June, the reported rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a suburb of Paris triggered protests and sparked condemnations from politicians who linked the incident to rampant antisemitism in France.

Paris aims to be the first fully gender-equal Games and the first to drastically reduce carbon emissions, and will feature the first Opening Ceremonies not held in a stadium.

Officials have promised that Friday’s Opening Ceremonies will be “the largest in Games history”, kicking off with a parade of athletes along the Seine – which was declared clean by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo last week after months of delays and contamination reports.

About 15,000 soldiers and 35,000 police officers are being deployed as part of Olympic security plans. Up to 22,000 private contractors are expected to work in and around stadiums and sports facilities, the Washington Post reported in March.

On Sunday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics will be provided with 24-hour protection. The security announcement came after a far-left French lawmaker said Israel’s delegation was not welcome and called for protests against the athletes participating, Reuters reported.