IOC: Technical glitch was good test for Paris Games systems

By Karolos Grohmann

PARIS, July 20 (Reuters) – A global technical outage that affected operations across many sectors and affected part of the Paris Olympics proved to be a good test in the run-up to the Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Saturday.

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A software update from global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, one of the largest players in the sector, caused system glitches that grounded flights, knocked broadcasters off air and left customers unable to access services such as healthcare and banking.

It also affected the activities of the organizers of the Olympic Games in Paris.

“Yes, there were some significant issues in the morning, but they were resolved pretty well,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “It was a pretty good dress rehearsal.”

The Paris Olympics begin on July 26. It was not the first time that the Olympics suffered a technical failure or attack. The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, for example, were the target of cyberattacks.

“Cyber ​​attacks are part of everyone’s daily life. The Olympics are obviously a big target,” Adams said.

“We have put in place a huge number of safety measures. I wouldn’t go into detail even if I could explain it. Our people and partners have assured us that we are very, very well prepared.”

“You can never be too prepared. We experienced a precarious situation in Pyeongchang. We are confident that we know how to handle it.”

Adams praised preparations for the Games and said France’s bid for the 2030 Winter Games, which is due to be voted on at the IOC session next week, had already been discussed by the IOC Executive Board on Saturday.

The offer, which was selected by the IOC Executive Board in June as a recommendation for next week’s session, still does not include the two key guarantees needed for approval.

One of the guarantees that still needs to be delivered is the public partnership contribution of the two regions. The French bid concerns the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.

“Yes, this topic was brought up (at the board meeting on Saturday),” Adams said.

France 2030 will be part of a vote on two Games during the session, which also involves Salt Lake City as host of the 2034 Winter Games.

“(France 2030) A great proposal. It will be on the agenda on Wednesday (during the session),” he said, but added that the political unrest in France in recent weeks had played a role.

“The difficult political situation makes it even more difficult. We still have a few business days left and I urge you to wait until then.” (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann Editing by Alexandra Hudson) CrowdStrike Holdings Inc