A proposed Olympic village for Saudi Arabia to be situated at Napoleon’s tomb, Les Invalides, is causing tension in the French capital, Paris.
With the games set to run from 26 July to 11 August this year, work is underway to place and build villages for the participating teams.
Saudi Arabia has requested President Emmanuel Macron to be allowed to erect their Olympic village at the tomb.
This is not the only site in the area to be used for the games with archery events set to be held in the long Esplanade Park of Les Invalides.
Some events will also be held at the iconic Eiffel Tower.
However, the plan for Saudi Arabia’s village has seen vehement opposition from both radical left and right-wing parties in the country.
Nathalie Serre, a conservative MP, demanded in parliament to know why the decision had been taken as the site is “an archi¬tectural treasure, full of symbolism”.
But French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that the government was giving it a “sympathetic view”.
He says many countries are also ¬setting up national pavilions in Paris for the games and that Riyadh is an “important defence partner”.
The Saudis have also been given a list of conditions, which haven’t been accepted yet.
