France plans to extend state of emergency through Tour de France

Sports are playing a big role in a move to extend France’s state of emergency into summer.

The French government announced Wednesday that special security measures — enacted after the November terrorist attacks in Paris — could be continued through the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, which ends July 10, and the Tour de France, held over three weeks in July.

“The state of emergency cannot be permanent but for these big events ... we have decided to prolong it,” Prime Minister Manuel Valls told France Info radio. The move will require parliament’s approval, according to France24.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has insisted that concerns about terrorism should not taint her city’s campaign to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Paris is considered a front-runner in a race that includes Los Angeles, Rome and Budapest.

“It’s not a defining issue for the bid,” Hidalgo told aroundtherings.com. “It’s something that concerns everyone hosting major events. Security is an issue that every major city in the world is facing today.”