Armand Duplantis and the other Swedish Olympic stars can dress as they please and move freely in Paris.
Despite the fact that the terrorist threat level in France is elevated and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is urging Swedes abroad to exercise caution.
Currently, there is no specific threat against Swedes, says team leader Peter Reinebo.
After two Swedish football supporters wearing blue and yellow match jerseys were killed in a terrorist attack in Brussels ahead of the men's national team's European Championship qualifier against Belgium in October, the question arose as to whether Swedes should, can, or should wear national team jerseys in public.
Ahead of the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, which opens in a week, the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) has no special rules for how athletes and leaders should dress and move around in France.
Currently, there is no specific threat against Swedes. Therefore, there are no restrictions on moving around in certain areas of Paris or using, or not using, the subway. But that can change overnight, says team leader Peter Reinebo and continues:
When it comes to travel and clothing, we have no restrictions in Sweden or France, as the situation is right now.
Since March, the terrorist threat level in France has been elevated to the highest level, a three on a three-tier scale. According to the cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, the risk of IT attacks during the Olympics is also elevated.
About 30,000 police officers are expected to patrol in Paris every day during the games, according to AP. Around 18,000 soldiers, including 1,000 stationed at a special base on the outskirts of France's capital, are also working on security.
"Explicit threat against the Olympics"
Sweden's team leader has been on site in Paris for the past week.
It's true that there is an elevated security level in France. It's because of two reasons. One is that there is an explicit threat against the Olympics from extremist groups. The other is that they want to have the opportunity to work preventively, says Reinebo.
The SOC is working closely with the Security Service, the MFA, and the Swedish Embassy in Paris. There is a crisis plan for how the SOC should act if a threat arises or if the threat picture changes. The MFA has been urging Swedes abroad to exercise increased caution and vigilance.
"Gets a bit worried"
The Paris Olympics will be Reinebo's 15th and last before he leaves the SOC at the turn of the year.
He thinks it's difficult to compare security during different Olympics, considering that the games have been held in countries with different forms of government and cultures.
You can only say that what they (Paris) present is a gigantic security apparatus. You get both impressed by it and at the same time a bit worried that it's needed.
