The Olympics just got underway and are already facing some issues.
According to reports, arsonists attacked high-speed rail lines outside of Paris Friday and caused logistical chaos ahead of the opening ceremonies.
There were no injuries reported but nearly 800,000 travelers, including Olympic athletes, had their transportation into the city affected.
Friday's rain may not have dampened the opening festivities but upcoming open water swimming events could be in jeopardy if the downpours caused sewage pollution in the Seine River to increase to unsafe levels yet again. The first open water event is Tuesday with the men's triathlon.
But during the ceremony, public address announcers mistakenly introduced the South Korean delegation as "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" which is actually the English name for North Korea. Officials later apologized for the mistake.
An error occurred in our broadcast when introducing the team of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Republic of Korea during the Opening Ceremony, we apologise sincerely. pic.twitter.com/LfUPLrtaYv
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) July 27, 2024
Meanwhile, in the Olympic Village, a food shortage has plagued the main restaurant - which guaranteed 40,000 meals a day - and now teams like Great Britain are flying in emergency chefs to ensure full meals for their athletes.
And pool depth concerns at The Paris La Defense Arena are raising questions ahead of the Olympic swimming and water polo events.
At just 2.15 meters deep, about seven and a half feet, the Paris pool is 31.5 inches shallower than the Tokyo venue in 2021.
Psychologically, swimmers believe depth affects how "fast" a pool feels and science actually backs that up.
The deeper a pool, the "faster" it is due to less volume for waves to reflect off the bottom and cause surface turbulence.
Every Olympics has its issues, but how Paris organizers respond to them will define the legacy of these Games.
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