French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra has claimed the country has learned lessons from the shambolic handling of last year's men's UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France, and revealed plans to deploy up to 7,000 security personnel during the Rugby World Cup.
The men's Rugby World Cup is due to start on Friday (September 8) when the hosts play New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, and venues in eight other cities are set to be used for the tournament due to run until October 28.
Security is a key concern in the build-up to next year's Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, and the Rugby World Cup presents France with another opportunity to host a major sporting event after the botched handling of the Champions League final.
Speaking in the week leading up to the start of the Rugby World Cup, Oudéa-Castéra - whose Ministerial portfolio also includes next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games - promised the French authorities had drawn the required lessons.
"We've done a tremendous amount of work to learn the lessons from what happened at the Stade de France," she said.
"We have revised our security policy, working on crime prevention."
The Minister revealed between 5,500 and 7,000 security personnel are set to be mobilised across France for the Rugby World Cup, with 600 agents recruited to allow for smoother passage from customs at French airports and extra staff in place at railway stations.
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