At Olympics, Opening Ceremony 'Is in Danger'

Dancers have issued strike notice ahead of official kickoff on Friday, as have local workers
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 24, 2024 7:20 AM CDT
Updated Jul 24, 2024 9:19 AM CDT
With Just 2 Days to Go, Strikes Threaten Paris Olympics Kickoff
The Olympic rings are seen in the Olympic Village ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics on Tuesday in Paris.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

In just two days, the Summer Olympics officially kick off in Paris—though hundreds of the dancers involved in the opening ceremony may not be doing much high kicking. The SFA-CGT union that represents about 10% of the 3,000 dancers performing at Friday's opening ceremony filed a strike warning last week due to "outrageous disparities" in pay, and after a Tuesday meeting between union and Olympics officials failed to bring any kind of agreement between the two parties, "the event still faces the risk of disruption," per AFP.

A union rep tells CNN that "negotiations are underway," but that "the ceremony is in danger in a sense, yes." Rehearsals are also being boycotted. "Being remembered by the spectators will not allow them to make a living," a statement from the union added of the entertainers. This year's opening ceremony at the Olympics is unusual in that it won't be held in a stadium, but along the Seine, where thousands of athletes will sail down the river in more than 80 boats.

The dancers aren't the only ones threatening to upend the Games. Front Office Sports reports that local airport workers, including those at the Orly and Charles de Gaulle hubs, have filed a strike notice over bonus pay. Cops, garbage collectors, train employees, taxi drivers, and private security guards have also been involved in strikes or issued their own strike notices leading up to the Olympics. (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)

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