France denied entry to several Russian journalists to the Olympics, fearing spies — Interior Minister Darmanin

The French authorities have banned several dozen foreigners from attending the Olympics for fear of espionage. As Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche, the ban on such grounds affected just under a hundred people from Russia, Belarus and other countries, which the official declined to list.

According to him, we are talking about people who tried to get to the Olympics in Paris under the guise of journalists, physiotherapists, technical staff. "They are probably not here to carry out attacks. But in addition to intelligence and traditional espionage, we should remember about access to entry points into computer networks to carry out a cyber attack," Darmanin said. At the same time, Russians working for the IOC were allowed to attend the Games.

In total, more than 4,300 people have been denied access to work at the Olympics, including volunteers, stadium workers and members of sports delegations. These include people on a list of suspected terrorists; Islamists; radical activists of both the right and left; and those with past convictions for crimes.

Fifteen Russian athletes will take part in the Summer Games, which will start in Paris on July 26, and will compete in a neutral status.