The Olympic Games are just days away from the opening ceremony in Paris but a turn in the weather in the French capital has proven problematic for the QR codes designed to allow access into some zones.
Paris 2024 begins on Friday with the opening ceremony set to make history as the first games not to host the opening event in a stadium. Restrictions began around the city on Thursday as security perimeters were activated in key locations of the games, with measures put in place to ensure public safety and the well-being of the events.
However, the QR codes that have been introduced to grant access to certain zones to locals and those connected with the games, are causing chaos around Paris for police and security. Following unsettled weather, Paris is finally basking in sunshine, but the change in the weather has highlighted a fault in the permits.
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The Games Pass came into effect on Thursday along the Seine as 44,000 permits were reportedly checked by police. Some residents and workers in the area are said to have forgotten about the new access codes and had to make last-ditch requests to obtain their QR codes, while others have been left stuck in long queues or forced to find alternative routes due to failures in the technology.
French outlet Le Parisien reported the problems with the QR codes and spoke to a number of residents who have been affected by their liabilities. One local who lives by the Trocadero revealed the flaw in the codes and the struggle officials are having to authorize them. “A policewoman never managed to scan my QR code on my phone because of the sun. After several attempts, she asked me for my ID to see if it matched my Pass. She finally let me through,” one Parisian said.
A policewoman also admitted her frustration to the outlet. "Even with the brightness turned up to maximum, it doesn't work," she said. "It's much more of a hassle because we waste time, we check identities instead. If people have a QR code, but we can't scan it and they don't have an ID, we can't let them through.”
It is further claimed that at one point in the middle of the afternoon, approximately 30 people were lined up on Quai Jacques-Chirac, waiting to pass into the designated ‘grey zone’. A cyclist near Notre Dame was also advised by police to bypass the ‘red zone’ rather than attempt to scan his QR code each time in order to reach their destination quicker.
Paris police acknowledged the fault with the passes but could only offer a chancing tip that has reportedly failed to make any obvious difference. "In case of strong outdoor light and especially when the phones are set to moderate brightness, Pass readers read the Pass Jeux less easily," a police spokesperson told the outlet.
"In order to avoid the QR Code not being read in these conditions, it is advisable to increase the brightness of the phones when presenting it so that the Pass Jeux is visible and readable. In addition, it is also possible for users to print their Pass Jeux to physically present it at checkpoints."
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