With the 2024 Summer Olympics set to kick off in less than three weeks, members of the Israeli team are not only busy training for the biggest sporting competition of their lives but are also preparing for the possibility of protests, animosity from other athletes and even potential terror attacks against the backdrop of the Gaza war.

“There is going to be a lot of security, both French and Israeli,” judoka champion Peter Paltchik, who will be one of two flag-bearers leading the Israeli delegation at the game’s opening ceremony on July 26, told Jewish Insider in an interview.

Speaking via phone from his training camp in Europe, Paltchik said that he could not go into much detail about the specifics of the security arrangements for the nearly 90 Israeli athletes, as well as coaches and support staff, but said he felt confident the games would be “safe and secure” for all members of the delegation.

“There are so many people who are taking care of us and making us feel secure,” he said. “The staff is really amazing, and I feel that we have nothing to worry about, we are all just focusing on preparing for the game ahead.”

Since the 1972 Olympics in Munich, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered in a brutal attack by Palestinian terrorists, competitors from Israel have received heightened security from the host country and an official Shin Bet (Israel’s security agency) escort. At this year’s games, which are taking place in the heart of tumultuous Europe during a time when Israel is facing war on multiple fronts and international backlash, the effort to secure the team members as they vie for medals in multiple sporting categories has come into sharp focus.

And while Israel is no stranger to securing its official international delegations – in May, Israel’s entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest, Eden Golan, was accompanied by an expanded Shin Bet security team to Malmö, Sweden – securing one of Israel’s largest Olympic delegations at the world’s biggest multisport event spread throughout France and beyond is a massive undertaking.

Eytan Ben David, who previously headed the dignitary protection unit in the Shin Bet and has overseen security for previous Israeli Olympic delegations, told JI that this year’s team will be protected with the “highest level of security that exists.”

The Shin Bet, explained Ben David, would likely have started making security arrangements far in advance of the games. It would have worked closely with the Olympic Committee of Israel and its president, former Israeli judoka champion Yael Arad, to identify all members of the Israeli delegation, including coaches and others, and assess the security arrangements at a range of the Games’ venues, ranging from the athletes’ village to the various stadiums, as well as scouting sites from Paris to Marseilles to Nantes and even the far-flung French territory of Tahiti, where the surfing competition will take place.

“Every place where there are athletes, every single person representing Israel will have security,” said Ben David, who also served as deputy national security advisor to the prime minister and head of the National Security Council.

And, he said, “if the head of the Shabak traveled to Sweden to check out security arrangements for the Eurovision in advance of Eden Golan’s arrival there and that is a much smaller event, then you can imagine that whatever is taking place ahead of the Olympics is much, much larger.”

Ben David, who is also an associate member of the International Institute for Counterterrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, emphasized that the most important element in securing the Israeli delegation is “coordination with the authorities in France – not just operationally but also intelligence-wise.”

“Together they will have to think about every level and type of possible threat,” he said, adding that the general security around all aspects of the Olympics will be extremely tight.

“The French are preparing their own security for the Olympics, and they will prepare for the worst-case scenario and that is not just against the athletes competing in the stadiums or attending the various events but everywhere; in restaurants and theaters or even along the Champs-Élysée, a terror attack is possible anywhere while the Olympics are taking place,” Ben David continued.

He noted that the French are well experienced in dealing with terror threats and were also aware of Israel’s “special needs,” especially during a time of war when enemies such as Iran have been “agitating from behind the scenes and had the ability to carry out terror attacks against Israelis in Europe.”

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar told JI that the country’s security budget for this year’s games was double what it was in the past and that the preparations were far more complex in light of the current events.

“There are more threats to Israelis abroad since Oct. 7, many times over,” he said, adding, “Our ministry is working in coordination with the Shin Bet. We’re preparing in terms of how the athletes can practice and compete safely, both mentally and physically … to give them the best situation to compete and win.” 

While Zohar would not go into detail about the security arrangements, he did say that “what we have to deal with in Paris reminds us of what we dealt with in the Eurovision.” 

At the same time, he said the Shin Bet will try to operate in ways that are not too obvious, and “try not to provoke too much or create situations that will embarrass the athletes.”

Zohar also emphasized that the French secret services and other security authorities were cooperating closely with Israel and, he added, “they understand the dangers and are taking it seriously.”

A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Paris also said that cooperation between the Israeli and French authorities has been close and that Israeli officials are “very satisfied with the efforts of the International Olympic Committee.”

The spokesperson refuted rumors that Israel may withdraw from the games over the increased threats this year or not participate in the opening ceremonies.

“Our message is very, very clear, Israel, just like any other delegation, Israel will participate in all the events, including the opening ceremony and the competitions itself,” the spokesperson said.

Over the past nine months, there have been calls for Israel to be barred from taking part in the games this year due its military actions in Gaza, or for it to compete under a neutral banner similar to athletes from Russia and Belarus. In March, IOC President Thomas Bach pushed back, saying there was “no question” Israel would not compete as usual.

Bach, who emphasized that the safety of the Israeli athletes was a top concern for the committee, highlighted the “heinous attack on the Israeli team” during the 1972 Olympics and said that since then “there were always special measures being taken with Israeli athletes.”

“The authorities feel comfortable that the same will be true of course also for Paris, Marseille or wherever there will be Israeli representation,” said Bach, according to reports.

David Wiseman, founder of Follow Team Israel, a Facebook page with more than 100,000 followers, said that calls to ban Israel – and the terror threats – were only some of what Israeli athletes might face during the month long games.

Wiseman, whose page spotlights individual Israeli athletes, noted that the Olympics was “a great place to make a ruckus,” and it was more likely to draw random protesters seeking to disrupt the games or some unsportsmanlike actions, rather than the more serious terror threats the Shin Bet is preparing for.

On his page, he said, he receives thousands of hate messages, including Holocaust denial, claims of genocide and threats against the Israeli sportsmen and women that he profiles almost daily.

Offline, he said, there could be some uncomfortable moments for the Israeli team during the competition with individual athletes or certain countries protesting Israel’s actions by boycotting their opponents from Israel. One event to watch, said Wiseman, is the soccer tournament, which begins on July 24 with the Israeli team playing Mali, a predominantly Muslim country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel. He also said there could be tension if the Israel soccer team ends up playing Iraq or Egypt.

Arad, the president of the Olympic Committee of Israel, told JI that the IOC had been very supportive of Israel’s participation in the games and that the delegation’s main focus was on “the competitions and putting politics or any other interference aside.”

Paltchik, who has won a slew of medals in international games, including a bronze in the team event in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, also said that he was trying to remain focused on sport and not on current events, even though the son of his coach, Oren Smadja, was killed last month fighting in Gaza.

“I’m preparing myself to come at my best, to arrive there healthy and in good shape, and to focus on the match mentally,” he said, noting, “Israel is a special country, with everything attached to it and we are Jewish as well, so it’s the whole package and we are used to this kind of distraction.”

However, Paltchik said that since the events of Oct. 7 he has seen a rise in the number of threats and a change in attitude among his competitors from other countries.

“Many of the athletes who used to be my friend do not want to talk to me anymore or shake my hand,” he told JI.

“I think that we might see some issues during these games such as boycotts or athletes refusing to shake hands and I am sure there will be other provocations, but I am trying to stay focused on the technical stuff and on competing,” Paltchik continued. “Just being there and trying to win is the best representation for my country.”