Leiden University Student Repository

Ring, Elsa (2025)

What were the challenges to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the security network in place during the 2024 Paris Olympics Games?

Bachelor thesis | Security Studies (BSc)

This research aims to investigate the challenges to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the security network in place during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To do so, it draws on qualitative methods, analysing documents such as legal texts, press conferences and newspaper articles, and conducting semi-structured interviews with different members of the network, including a municipal police officer, a gendarme, and the administrative and financial director of a private security company. This is the first academic study that focuses on the legitimacy and effectiveness of this particular network. The findings reveal that the network overcame challenges to its effectiveness successfully, paving the way for a secure experience of the Games for the public. However, issues persisted regarding the legitimacy of the network, especially when it came to accountability mechanisms and transparency. These findings raise questions regarding the balance between effectiveness and legitimacy, and touch...Show moreThis research aims to investigate the challenges to the legitimacy and effectiveness of the security network in place during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. To do so, it draws on qualitative methods, analysing documents such as legal texts, press conferences and newspaper articles, and conducting semi-structured interviews with different members of the network, including a municipal police officer, a gendarme, and the administrative and financial director of a private security company. This is the first academic study that focuses on the legitimacy and effectiveness of this particular network. The findings reveal that the network overcame challenges to its effectiveness successfully, paving the way for a secure experience of the Games for the public. However, issues persisted regarding the legitimacy of the network, especially when it came to accountability mechanisms and transparency. These findings raise questions regarding the balance between effectiveness and legitimacy, and touch upon tensions between civil liberties and security.Show less

Security networks

legitimacy

effectiveness

Olympic Games

Author

Ring, Elsa

Faculty

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

Supervisors

Niculescu-Dinca, V.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en