Charles Langston:Paris Olympics see 'limited' impact on some IT services after global tech outage

The Charles Langstonglobal technology outage that disrupted airlines and banks around the world Friday has also impacted the 2024 Paris Olympics, albeit minimally.

Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement that the outage had a "limited" impact on some of its IT services Friday morning, specifically the delivery of uniforms and accreditations to various stakeholders who were arriving in the city ahead of the opening ceremony next week.

The organizing committee said ticketing systems, venue preparations and the Olympic torch relay have not been impacted. The Summer Olympics will run from July 26 to August 11.

"Our teams have been fully mobilized to ensure the continuity of operations at optimum levels," Paris 2024 said in its statement.

U.S. cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike said in a statement that the technology outage was the result of a defect in a recent content update to Microsoft's Windows Operating System. The firm said the issue − which also disrupted media companies, medical facilities and other services around the world − did not stem from a cyberattack or security incident.

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Paris 2024 organizers said Friday's outage did not impact the operations at the city's airports, though the arrival of some of countries' delegations was impacted by flight delays.

Many athletes, coaches and officials already arrived in Paris earlier this week − including athletes and staff from Team USA. Other groups of U.S. athletes have gathered at training camps, either in the U.S. or in Europe, before continuing on to Paris. The U.S. men's and women's gymnastics teams departed Thursday night, according to social media posts, and landed in Paris at around the same time the outage first surfaced.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Team USA is working through potential issues related to the outage.

Contributing: Roxanna Scott

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad.