A recent global tech outage, which disrupted operations across various sectors, has inadvertently served as a valuable test for the systems in place for the upcoming Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Saturday. The incident was triggered by a software update from CrowdStrike, a leading global cybersecurity firm. The update caused widespread system issues, grounding flights, forcing broadcasters off the air, and leaving customers without access to essential services such as healthcare and banking. The Paris Games organizers were also affected.
“Yes, there were some significant problems in the morning, but it was pretty well dealt with,” said IOC spokesperson Mark Adams. “It was quite a good rehearsal.” The Paris Games are set to open on July 26. This is not the first time the Olympics have faced tech failures or cyberattacks. The Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics were also targeted by cyberattacks. “Cyberattacks are part of everyone’s daily lives. The Olympic Games are a huge target, obviously,” Adams stated. “We have a huge amount of safeguards in place. I would not go into detail even if I could explain it. We have been assured by our people and partners that we are very, very prepared.”
Adams emphasized the importance of preparedness, referencing the close call in Pyeongchang. “You can never be too prepared. We have every confidence we know how to deal with it.” In addition to discussing preparations for the Paris Games, Adams mentioned that France’s bid for the 2030 Winter Games, which will be voted on at the IOC session next week, was also a topic of discussion at the IOC executive board meeting on Saturday.
The bid, which was recommended by the IOC executive board in June, still lacks two key guarantees required for approval. One missing guarantee is the public partnership contribution from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions. “Yes, this topic was touched on at the executive board on Saturday,” Adams said. France’s 2030 bid will be part of a two-games vote by the session, which also includes Salt Lake City as a candidate for the 2034 Winter Games.
“(France 2030) is a great proposal. It will be on the agenda on Wednesday at the session,” Adams added, noting that recent political turmoil in France had complicated the situation. “The difficult political situation makes it a bit more difficult. We still have some working days left to go, and I urge you to wait until then.”
Despite the challenges, the IOC remains optimistic about the preparations for both the Paris 2024 Summer Games and the potential future Winter Games in France.