‘World is ready for a normal Olympics’: Chef de mission Anna Meares’ parting words to Aussies

Australia’s 460-strong Olympic contingent will soon descend on Paris. Chef de mission Anna Meares explains why she is confident they will weather the various storms that await.

Whether they have to paddle past poo, dodge riots in the streets, or avoid getting caught up with protests on the podium, Australia’s Olympic team have been given one sound piece of advice before heading to Paris: the only thing they really need to think about is doing their best.

Like every Olympic Games in modern times, the build-up to Paris has been dominated by scandals, feuds and doubts about whether the French can pull it off.

Chances are, they may not deliver on all their promises, because they’ve made so many grandiose statements and are dealing with so many problems, on land, water and in the air.

Despite reassurances it’ll all be fine on the day, there remains serious doubts about whether the Seine will be safe enough to swim in because it’s just so polluted.

There are still questions about whether the Seine will be safe enough to swim in during the Paris Olympics

There are worries too about the ongoing unrest in France following outbreaks of violence in the wake of the general election.

And there’s real cause for concern about the security detail, because the Olympics are always a target for terrorist groups and crazy lone wolves and there are fresh threats for Paris because of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Still, this is all just part and parcel of the Olympics, so Australia’s athletes have been given reassurances not to fret about anything after the Covid chaos of Tokyo.

“The world is ready for a normal Games again,” Australia’s chef de mission Anna Meares said, adding that unrest, riots and protests were not uncommon in Paris.

“This is normal, this is how they express themselves,” she said.

“I’m very confident that the Games will go ahead. There will be more security on ground in Paris, and that’s very OK, I think that makes us feel, makes me feel more safe.”

In her final news conference before heading off to Europe, the cycling legend answered a wide range of questions about all the problems in France with the same aplomb she had when she was riding her bike.

When asked about the Seine, she said: “At the moment, it is safe to swim in.

On security: “The threat level is as high as it can be and has been in the past, but that just means they can act quickly when required.

“There will be more security on ground in Paris and that’s very okay. That makes us, makes me feel more safe.”

Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Australian Olympic Team Anna Meares

The only time she stopped pedalling was when she was thrown the old chestnut about how many medals the Australian team would end up with.

“I love Rohan Taylor’s quote, head coach from the swimming team: as many as we can get,” Meares replied.

“I know we all want to talk about that medal tally at the end of the day, but for the athlete they’re there to try and win that medal that they’re invested in that contributes to the overall success of the team. So if we can keep that focus on that for them, it’s helpful.”

The margins between winning and losing at the Olympics are always razor thin but the omens are already looking good for the Aussies after one potential hiccup was averted when a container ship carrying the team’s Olympic uniforms crashed into another vessel near Gibraltar.

“At one stage, it was going to cause a 14 day delay to our uniforms turning up, which, as you can imagine, would not be ideal,” Meares said. “But luckily we have had great support logistically to be able to have those uniforms delivered. And despite the fact that there was the crash, no damage was done.”

Facts and figures about the Australian Olympic team for Paris:

* 460 athletes, making it the fourth biggest Australian team ever behind Sydney (632), Tokyo (486) and Athens (482).

* Australia will compete in 33 sports

* 246 women (55.6%) and 204 men (43.4%)

* 231 rookies

* 10 Indigenous athletes

* Six athletes at their fifth Games – Patrick Mills, Lauren Jackson, Joe Ingles, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Eddie Ockenden and Melissa Wu

* Biggest sports: athletics (75), swimming (44), rowing (37), hockey (32).

* Oldest team member is Shane Rose (51), competing in equestrian.

* Youngest team member is Arisa Trew (14) competing in skateboarding.