PARIS, July 29 (Reuters) - Booksellers along the river Seine say the Olympics threaten to erase a symbol of Paris, after they were told by local authorities that they will have to remove their stalls for the Summer Games opening ceremony in 2024 for security reasons.
Paris 2024 organisers expect at least 600,000 people to attend the opening ceremony on the Seine, during which athletes and delegations will sail along the river.
It will be the first time the public have free access to the opening ceremony, and not in a stadium.
"This renovation is part of the Games' heritage and will help support the application to have the Seine booksellers recognised as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO," the authorities said.
It was not clear whether the booksellers had been told they must move for the duration of the Games or only for the opening ceremony.
Persons:
Paris, Jerome Callais, Albert Abid, Ardee Napolitano, Clotaire, Layli Foroudi, Hugh Lawson
Organizations:
Booksellers, Eiffel, Notre Dame, Paris, UNESCO, Thomson
Locations:
Paris, Seine