One of these is football, and on Wednesday Argentina and Morocco played out a match with the score ended 2-1 in favour of the Arabic nation. Though that's not what made the headlines: there were riots and a pitch invasion that led to a two-hour stoppage of the game, which ended with only the players on the pitch.

The Olympic organisers are now investigating the events that marred one of the first days of Paris 2024, at a time when everything has to run like clockwork and security is a major challenge. "Paris 2024 is working with stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions," the organisers warned.

For their part, the Argentinian Football Federation, two-time world champions, called for action after the defeat of their men's national team. Javier Mascherano's side thought they had salvaged a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of stoppage time, as the game dragged on beyond the 15 minutes of extra time signalled by the referees.

However, the game was marred by crowd disturbances, with projectiles thrown onto the pitch and spectators invading onto the field of play. A firework was also thrown at the Argentina bench. Medina's goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review, and Morocco went on to secure the victory.

Security

Security is the priority of the Olympic Games. A total of 45,000 police officers, surveillance drones, 10,000 military personnel and snipers on rooftops will be on alert for any danger on Friday for the opening ceremony. There will also be 20,000 private security guards.

The area to be secured stretches over six kilometers (four miles) along the Seine, accommodating around 300,000 ticketed spectators and numerous residents and tourists in surrounding buildings.

A no-fly zone will be established 150 kilometers around Paris starting one hour before the 19:30 CEST (18:30 GMT) ceremony, grounding or diverting all aviation at one of Europe's busiest airport hubs.

Police snipers will be stationed on high points along the route, scanning for potential threats. Navy boats equipped with divers and sonar will inspect the Seine for explosives or infiltration attempts, and all boats in the parade will undergo thorough screening by sniffer dogs and bomb disposal experts.