French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday holds a meeting of ministers to tackle issues overshadowing preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics, almost two years to the day before the sporting extravaganza opens.

The Olympics should be a centrepiece of the freshly re-elected Macron’s second term, projecting an image of a France comfortable in its modern identity but open to the world.

But with two years to go to the opening ceremony on July 26, 2024, concerns are growing not just over costs but also security preparations.

France’s reputation as a reliable host of sporting events took a major battering over the chaos that marred the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris on May 28 that critics blamed on heavy-handed policing.

A particular subject of anxiety is the ambitious vision — in a typical Macron flourish — of an opening ceremony which will not take place as is customary in the athletics stadium but as a flotilla down the River Seine.

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