Test, swarm, normalize: how surveillance technologies have infiltrated Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Abstract

The present paper aims to discuss the correlation between surveillance technologies and Olympic Games. The latter have become a “security spectacle” only behind wars in terms of budget. Surveillance, however, does not pertain only to security, as it has infiltrated our everyday life and has become a “culture.” To prepare for the 2024 Olympics, surveillance technologies, through an array of innovations, have been put forward in the Parisian territory: from facial recognition cameras and behavioral analysis systems to drones and anti-drone technologies. If it were not for the Olympic context, they would be considered “exceptions.” However, as it will be discussed in the paper, they have been normalized and integrate all the planning dimensions of this sports mega-event.