Between 13 million and 16 million spectators expected, some 10,500 Olympic and 4,400 Paralympic athletes present, an unprecedented opening ceremony which will take place on the Seine, twenty-six competition sites in Ile-de-France and throughout the region French. With all the medical risks that this entails for athletes and spectators. Of the “usual bobology” (fainting, heatstroke, small injuries) up to the feared damage of a possible attack.
At the forefront during the Games, the emergency services (SAMU and SMUR) of France are preparing for this extraordinary event. From April 24 to 26, the second edition of the International Disaster Response Meetings was organized in Toulouse, hosted by the Toulouse Disaster Response Center, a pioneer in the field, and in which 450 professionals, from around thirty different nationalities.
Present for a conference, Professor Frédéric Adnet is the head of SAMU 75. During the Paris Olympic Games, he will be responsible for organizing and coordinating the medical teams, in conjunction with the Paris Police Prefecture, the firefighters, civil security and the Organizing Committee (Cojop). “Major events are our jobhe said. The system is very well established but it must be admitted that there are some particularities. »
Starting with the opening ceremony, on July 26, which should be held on – and along – the Seine, in the heart of the capital. “It’s a big challenge with 300,000 people expected on the banks, the athletes spread across a hundred boats over six kilometers, and therefore piles of bridges to avoid”comments, smiling, Frédéric Adnet.
Well-established protocols
In fact, a doctor will be present on each boat, supported by semi-rigid boats for possible evacuations. Medical teams will be installed along the route, ready to receive, then evacuate to several nearby hospitals. An organization which foreshadows all that put in place during these competitions. “In reality, we expect a relatively calm fortnight, as happened in London in 2012adds Mr. Adnet. According to projections, many Parisians are expected to leave the city. Between population departures and arrivals, around 150,000 additional people are expected.
“We are adapting, with the installation of teams on the twenty-six sites, the increase in the number of beds – around three hundred –, and we will be able to rely on the polyclinic installed in the Olympic village. For a summer period, we will increase to 120% of usual activity”estimates the head of SAMU 75, who adds: “What we fear above all is the heatwave. For the rest, the public is rather festive or curious, not at all like football matches with high stakes and the risk of excesses. »
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