Parisian real estate professionals have cautioned against the potential negative effects of overcrowded balconies during the upcoming July and August Olympic events.
The National Real Estate Federation (FNAIM) has emphasized the importance of inspecting balconies, typically designed for only a few individuals, to ensure structural integrity and prevent collapses or accidents.
This concern is especially significant for residential buildings overlooking the Seine River, as athletes are expected to navigate its waters during the grand opening ceremony on July 26.
"We need to be absolutely sure that the balconies can take the weight and that handrails are well sealed in to avoid any sort of incident," the head of FNAIM in the Paris region, Olivier Princivalle, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Accidents involving balconies are a rare but sometimes deadly occurrence in France, with two people left seriously injured in the southeast of Paris in May last year when their fifth-floor balcony gave way.
Four people died in the central city of Angers in 2016 when a balcony collapsed during a party.
The Paris Olympics on July 26-Aug. 11, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 28-Sept. 8, are set to take place at locations across the City of Light where many buildings are hundreds of years old.
The issue of balcony safety underlines the immense organizational complexity faced by local authorities as they prepare for the first Games in Paris in 100 years.
The opening ceremony – the first time a summer Olympics has begun outside of a stadium – represents a huge challenge for the French police, who have been asked to secure a 6-kilometer (4-mile) stretch of the river that will be used during the parade.
The Paris police department told AFP that checking balconies did not fall under its responsibilities, but it was working with the industry and its partners to address the issue.
Under French law, building owners or managers have responsibility for checking their structures, but "something can slip through the cracks," a French source with knowledge of the preparations told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
Advance warnings about security and transport restrictions during the Games have led many Parisians to plan holidays during the event, sometimes to rent out their homes for high prices to foreign visitors.
"Don't leave this summer, don't leave! That would be a mistake," Mayor Anne Hidalgo urged the city's inhabitants on Sunday as she inaugurated the only new permanent Olympics sports arena to be built in inner Paris.
"It's going to be incredible."
