The Paris public prosecutor's office said in a statement a 25-year-old Australian woman told authorities in the French capital that she was raped, adding they are investigating the incident as a gang rape. French media reported five men raped the woman.
The statement did not name the victim but said the alleged assault occurred overnight Friday, July 19, and that the woman then sought refuge in a Paris restaurant where firefighters provided emergency assistance and later took the victim to a hospital.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement Wednesday that the Australian Embassy in Paris has sought to offer consular assistance to a citizen, who had been assaulted in the French capital.
“We understand that this is a very traumatic experience and stand ready to provide assistance,” the statement said. It did not provide any other information to protect the victim's privacy.
Reports in Australian media said the victim had initially planned to immediately return to Australia but later decided to stay in France. It did not provide any other information due to privacy obligations.
Paris security authorities have been on high alert in the lead-up to the Olympic Games that kick off on Friday with an open-air ceremony on the River Seine.
The city is deploying 35,000 police officers daily for the Olympics, which run until August 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony. In addition, 10,000 soldiers are taking part in security operations in the Paris region.Paris is gearing up to host the Summer Olympics this year.
The Olympics take place every four years, and the last games in Tokyo were delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held largely without spectators.
From venues to sporting events, here is all to know about the much-anticipated Paris Olympics 2024:
The Olympic games this year will run from July 26 to August 11.
Some sports will begin before the official opening ceremony, including football and rugby sevens which start on July 24, and archery and handball, which begin on July 25.
Overall, the multisport event will take place over a 19-day period
A total of 10,500 athletes representing 206 countries are competing in this year’s Olympics.
Athletes will be competing for 329 gold medals across 32 sports.
Where to find the schedule and results for the Olympics 2024?
An overview of the Paris Olympics schedule and results can be found on a dedicated page on the official Olympics website.
The games will open on July 26 at the Seine, where dozens of boats will carry athletes across a 6km (3.7-mile) route in the river.
The Olympic Games will take place in 35 venues overall.
While most of these venues are in or around Paris, a handful of games will take place in venues in other cities including Lyon Stadium, where some football games will take place, and the Marseille Marina, where sailing events will be staged.
Surfing will take place in French Polynesia’s Tahiti, in a French overseas territory nearly 16,000km (10,000 miles) from the rest of the venues.
Here are more details about the different Olympic venues this year.
What do French politics have to do with the elections?
Legislative elections in France concluded earlier this month, with no party winning a clear majority. Soon after the election results, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party announced that he would resign.
While Macron accepted Attal’s resignation, Attal’s government will stay in a caretaker capacity to ensure the Olympic Games run smoothly.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on July 22: “We are ready and we will be ready throughout the Games [to host the event].”
How to watch the Olympics 2024?
The Paris Olympics 2024 will be broadcast globally.
You can follow the summer games on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text commentary on selected football, basketball, tennis and boxing fixtures.
Wide view of the Stade de France in Paris.
The Stade De France will hold the track and field events for the Paris Olympics 2024 [Richard Heathcote/Getty Images]
Olympic competition dates – sport by sport:
Opening ceremony: July 26, River Seine
Archery: July 25 to August 4, Invalides
Artistic gymnastics: July 25 to August 4, Bercy Arena
Artistic swimming: August 5-10, Bercy Arena
Athletics: August 1-11, Stade de France (track and field), Trocadero (race walks), Invalides (marathons)
Badminton: July 27 to August 5, La Chapelle Arena
3×3 Basketball: July 30 to August 5, La Concorde
Basketball: July 27 to August 11, Pierre Mauroy Stadium (group phase) and Bercy Arena (finals)
Beach volleyball: July 27 to August 10, Eiffel Tower Stadium
Boxing: July 27 to August 10, North Paris Arena and Roland-Garros Stadium
Breaking: August 9-10, La Concorde
Canoe slalom: July 27 to August 5, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium – Whitewater
Canoe sprint: August 6-10, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium – Flatwater
Cycling BMX: July 30 to August 2, La Concorde (freestyle), BMX Stadium (racing)
Cycling mountain bike: July 28-29, Elancourt Hill
Cycling road: July 27 to August 4, Pont Alexandre III (time trials), Trocadero (road races)
Cycling track: August 5-11, National Velodrome
Diving: July 27 to August 10, Aquatics Centre
Equestrian: July 27 to August 6, Chateau de Versailles
Fencing: July 27 to August 4, Grand Palais
Football: July 24 to August 10, Bordeaux Stadium, Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, La Beaujoire Stadium, Lyon Stadium, Marseille Stadium, Nice Stadium and Parc de Princes (finals)
Golf: August 1-10, Le Golf National
Handball: July 25 to August 11, South Paris Arena (group stage), Pierre Mauroy Stadium (knockout phase)
Hockey: July 27 to August 9, Yves-du-Manoir Stadium
Judo: July 27 to August 3, Champ-de-Mars Arena
Marathon swimming: August 8-9, Pont Alexandre III
Modern pentathlon: August 8-11, North Paris Arena (ranking round), Chateau de Versailles
Rhythmic gymnastics: August 8-10, La Chapelle Arena
Rowing: July 27 to August 3, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium – Flatwater
Rugby sevens: July 24-30, Stade de France
Sailing: July 28 to August 8, Marseille Marina
Shooting: July 27 to August 5, Chateauroux Shooting Centre
Skateboarding: July 27 to August 7, La Concorde
Sport climbing: August 5-10, Le Bourget Climbing Venue
Surfing: July 27 to August 4, Teahupo’o, Tahiti
Swimming: July 27 to August 4, Paris La Defense Arena
Table tennis: July 27 to August 10, South Paris Arena
Taekwondo: August 7-10, Grand Palais
Tennis: July 27 to August 4, Roland Garros
Trampoline gymnastics: August 2, Bercy Arena
Triathlon: July 30 to August 5, Pont Alexandre III
Volleyball: July 27 to August 11, South Paris Arena
Water polo: July 27 to August 11, Aquatics Centre, Paris La Defense Arena
Weightlifting: August 7-11, South Paris Arena
Wrestling: August 5-11, Champ-de-Mars Arena
Closing ceremony: August 11, Stade de France
