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Special police forces comb the media working room at the Stade de France with hours until kickoff of France vs Romania (Photo: Sonja Nikcevic)
PARIS, June 10, 2016 - With just hours until the kickoff of Euro 2016 with France –Romania at the Stade de France, a large security team with sniffer dogs combed the stadium in a “routine check for explosives”, which also included the media working room, where members of the media were asked to vacate the premises, section by section for 15 minutes.
France goes into the Euro with an unprecedented level of security concern, and the state of emergency in the country following terrorist attacks in November that left 130 dead, has extended to the European Championships. A total of almost 100,000 French security forces have been called up for the tournament, and media were able to witness the organizers’ commitment to exorbitant – and many would add – welcome- high security measures on Friday.
A grand carousel is expected to be the centerpiece of tonight’s EURO 2016 opening ceremony at the Stade de France as the nation kicks off a continent-wide celebration of football. Similarly so, the stadium in St. Denis, along with nine others across France, will host a spinning carousel of its own in terms of media activity in the next 30 days.
France goes into the Euro with an unprecedented level of security concern, and the state of emergency in the country following terrorist attacks in November that left 130 dead, has extended to the European Championships. A total of almost 100,000 French security forces have been called up for the tournament, and media were able to witness the organizers’ commitment to exorbitant – and many would add – welcome- high security measures on Friday.
A grand carousel is expected to be the centerpiece of tonight’s EURO 2016 opening ceremony at the Stade de France as the nation kicks off a continent-wide celebration of football. Similarly so, the stadium in St. Denis, along with nine others across France, will host a spinning carousel of its own in terms of media activity in the next 30 days.
An estimated 3200 journalists and non-rights holders are expected to traipse the country up and down – national rail strikes permitting – in a record coverage of the European Championships. UEFA’s expanded Euro format of 24 teams means that the doors of the tournament are also open to more members of the media from more nations, including five newcomers – Northern Ireland, Wales, Slovakia, Iceland and Albania, expanding UEFA’s reach more than ever before in the process.
STADE DE FRANCE
The Stade de France will be the start and end point of the Euro 2016, as it hosts the opening, final and five more matches in between, and has the largest media operations capacity, with 592 working places in the main media working room, and an additional 204-large working area for photographers near the pitch. Members of UEFA’s media operations team explained that while the working area was open to all accredited media in the lead up to the final, on July 10th access would be restricted to those who had confirmed match attendance, e.i those who will be covering the final from the media tribune.
The Stade de France’s press conference hosts 238 media places and a 26m platform for cameras, with media being confirmed press conference attendance based on seniority and nation. However, those unable to attend the press conference are able to follow a live stream on UEFA’s Fame Media Information System in a selection of languages. Screens inside the press room also show the press conferences live, a crucial organizational lapse at the 2016 Champions League Final in Milan.
ACCREDITATION
Accreditation centers across France opened on June 6th, with colleagues confirming short and swift wait times and almost no lines during accreditation pickup. The exception was, expectedly so, at the Stade de France on June 9, when wait time extended to 40 minutes. The accreditation process and opening hiccups, including working Wi-Fi connections on the day ahead of the tournament start, were swiftly solved thanks to volunteers. UEFA has confirmed that 6,500 volunteers aged 18-81 will be engaged for the Euros, with 68 being involved in just the media operations sector of the Stade de France.
On the opening day of the tournament colleagues from France, Romania and Spain confirmed that everything was running smoothly, with many mentioning the one largely discussed drawback – that transport within cities was no free with a media accreditation – something that has become an almost expected feature at Euro Championships.
With just hours to go until all tournament lead up falls into the shadows and football takes over, the hope is that media coverage itself will not need to be about anything more.
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