Unique diplomatic network action for the Games

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) is helping to organize this major sporting event and is playing a key role:

• from a consular perspective, by facilitating the issuance of visas for tens of thousands of Members of the Olympic and Paralympic Family;
• from a Protocol perspective, the Ministry is welcoming the many Heads of State and Government who have travelled to France for the Games. Over 100 such dignitaries attended the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on 26 July 2024. Almost 200 volunteer liaison officers are on hand to provide support and have the honour of demonstrating the expertise of French Protocol to their delegations;
• 150 embassies have joined the “Terre de Jeux 2024” programme, illustrating the enthusiasm and ambition of the diplomatic network for contributing to the success of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and sharing the project with the 2.5 million French people living abroad. Some 136 of these embassies – more than 80% of the French diplomatic network – organized an epic “Relay Around the World” on 14 March 2024: 24 hours of non-stop sport across the whole world! Taking place just weeks before the Games began, this event highlighted the efforts of the French diplomatic network and its determination to continue making sport central to our external action.