$3b Paris Games security bill poorly forecast

France’s top auditing institution praised the organisation of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games but also chided the failure to forecast a €2 billion (S$3.02 billion) security bill.

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With security only vaguely projected in advance, the costs in fact came to €1.7 billion in temporary spending and €300 million in longer-term costs, the Cour des Comptes (Court of Accounts) said in a report published on Sept 29.

“The security expenditure... was high, and very long underestimated. But this is not a case of cost overruns it is a case of deficient forecasting,” it said of the enormous operation to keep athletes and spectators safe.