PARIS – Millions of visitors and thousands of athletes will flock to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games, but the great unknown for organizers is the potential risk of protests, terrorism and cyber attacks. The Olympics have been a target for attacks in the past, notably the 1972 Munich Games where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. Then in 1996, a bomb blast killed one woman and injured more than 100 people at the Atlanta Games.

France plans to deploy around 35,000 police each day during the Games, peaking at 45,000 for the Opening Ceremony, a spokesperson at the French interior ministry told CNN. In addition, 10,000 soldiers will be deployed in the Paris region – an effort supported by 1,800 police officers from around the world, they added. France will also deploy 20,000 private security personnel, Reuters reported.

Nicolas Nordman, Deputy Paris Mayor in charge of security, told CNN that authorities had been working for months to try to anticipate what might happen and were confident the ceremony would be safe. He said a “strictly controlled” zone alongside the banks of the river will be closed off before the Opening Ceremony and anyone entering into it would be checked. That security perimeter came into effect last Thursday, with people living, working and visiting places inside the restricted zone required to carry a pass to enter. Individuals had to apply for an access pass prior to Thursday. “These controls must ensure that no ill-intentioned people enter the area. There is also the need for controls on the day of the ceremony,” said Nordman.

The long Olympic torch relay has come to an end with the torch’s flame igniting the cauldron. The flame will burn in its cauldron for the next two weeks as the Paris Games play out. During the closing ceremony, it will be extinguished in Paris and then readied for the next Games. The next Olympics will take place in two years in Milan, Italy. The torch was passed between legendary athletes Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal (who carried the torch on a boat down the Seine), Serena Williams (who rode next to Nadal), Carl Lewis, Tony Parker and scores of French Olympians. Finally, the cauldron was lit by French Olympians Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec. The flame was lit after French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open and the Olympic oath was taken by France’s two flag bearers. (CNN)…[+]