Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games – Report on attempted foreign digital interference (13 September 2024)

The French authorities have noted the existence of several digital information manipulation operations targeting the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Indeed, the investigations conducted by VIGINUM highlighted 43 hostile information campaigns involving various actors between April 2023 and 8 September 2024.

These operations sought to disrupt international debate connected to the Games and the smooth running of competitive events by targeting the host country and organizing committee. They aimed to denigrate the Games’ organization, convey a distorted picture of the city of Paris and, more broadly, spoil what was a popular celebration.

France firmly condemns these hostile information campaigns, which are contrary to the Olympic spirit.

Despite the resources mobilized, however, these campaigns did not succeed in spoiling the celebration, disrupting the smooth running of the Games or significantly altering their coverage in France and abroad. VIGINUM notes that the campaigns identified mostly struggled to achieve sufficient visibility in the public debate online in the French-speaking world. On the contrary, audience research and opinion polls emphasized the popular and international success of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

France commends the tireless work of the journalists covering the Games and open-source investigators, for their independent and systematic efforts to set the record straight.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs pays tribute to the active efforts of the French diplomatic network to ensure the Games’ success, including by contributing to the French interministerial mechanism, built around VIGINUM, for tackling the manipulation of information.