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The alleged gang rape of an Australian woman in\xa0Paris\xa0just days before the\xa0Olympic Opening Ceremonies\xa0has put the city \u2013 and visiting athletic teams \u2013 on edge ahead of the global sporting event.

The 25-year-old raised the alarm in the early hours of Saturday, France\u2019s\xa0Le Parisien\xa0newspaper reported, adding that the \u201cdisoriented\u201d woman entered a local restaurant on the famed Boulevard de Clichy in the Pigalle neighbourhood, wearing her dress backward.

The Paris prosecutor\u2019s office told the newspaper that a \u201cgang rape\u201d was likely carried out between Friday and Saturday and that officials are investigating.

Australian athletes in Paris had been made aware of the alleged attack, Strath Gordon, chief of public affairs and communication for Australia\u2019s Olympic team, said in an email Tuesday.

\u201cThey are advised not to wear team kit when in public places,\u201d Gordon said, though he noted the athletes had not received any threats since landing in France and were \u201cgetting on with their preparations for the Games\u201d.

Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, promised last year that the French capital would be \u201cthe safest place in the world\u201d when the Olympic Games begin this summer.

However, hosting an event as big as the Olympics has triggered mounting security concerns in France, where officials have grappled with how to balance public \u2013 and athletes\u2019 \u2013 safety with an event they want to be open to all.

During the games, security officials will be juggling myriad threats including terrorist attacks, cyberattacks, crowd crushes and the impact of potential labor strikes.

In June, the reported rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a suburb of Paris triggered protests and sparked condemnations from politicians who linked the incident to rampant antisemitism in France.

Paris aims to be the first fully gender-equal Games and the first to drastically reduce carbon emissions, and will feature the first Opening Ceremonies not held in a stadium.

Officials have promised that Friday\u2019s Opening Ceremonies will be \u201cthe largest in Games history\u201d, kicking off with a parade of athletes along the Seine \u2013 which was declared clean by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo last week after months of delays and contamination reports.

About 15,000 soldiers and 35,000 police officers are being deployed as part of Olympic security plans. Up to 22,000 private contractors are expected to work in and around stadiums and sports facilities, the\xa0Washington Post\xa0reported in March.

On Sunday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics will be provided with 24-hour protection. The security announcement came after a far-left French lawmaker said Israel\u2019s delegation was not welcome and called for protests against the athletes participating, Reuters reported.

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