Speaking on Monday, the French leader said he was confident the planned ceremony, based on the River Seine, would go ahead but that France had "plan Bs, and even plan Cs" just in case, Sky News reported.

The 26 July event is set to be the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside a stadium setting and will see about 10,500 athletes parade through the heart of the French capital of Paris on some 160 boats on the Seine along a 3.7-mile route.

However, with conflict in West Asia and Russia's attack on Ukraine combined with the threat of terror attacks, the French government has raised the security level to its highest level.

This has led to Macron conceding that, if security demands necessitated, the Paris 2024 opening ceremony could be altered, or even scaled down.

He said France was not naïve, adding, "If we think there are security risks we'll have plan Bs, and even plan Cs."

SD/PR