Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE: Chaos as arson attack hits Paris rail network in sabotage attempt just hours before opening ceremony gets underway with all airports closed in French capital amid fears Putin could be behind strike

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera (pictured below with French President Emmanuel Macron) has said today’s arson attacks on the French rail network were “probably coordinated”.

She told Sky News: “It is likely to be large-scale sabotage involving some malicious acts, probably in concert.

“We are still analyzing all the consequences and determining which solutions we are going to implement. This will also have consequences during the weekend.”

Ms Oudéa-Castera also admitted that the “malicious acts” could be the work of Russia or a terrorist group, but also of “demonstrators or even French people”.

She said the arsonists were “playing against the athletes who have worked so hard for so many years.”

She added: “I’m a little angry. We’re not going to let this destabilize us.”

There are growing fears that Moscow is behind today’s “massive arson attack” that has caused chaos on the French rail network following the arrest of a suspected Russian spy earlier this week.

Kirill Gryaznov (below), 40, was arrested Wednesday and accused of working “with a foreign power to provoke hostilities in France.” He was identified as an employee of the FSB, Vladimir Putin’s domestic intelligence agency.

Gryaznov, who denies any wrongdoing, is said to have bragged about turning the start of the Paris Olympics into “an opening ceremony like no other”.

Traffic at the port of Dover in Kent is at a standstill this morning due to ongoing traffic chaos across the Channel.

Motorists are being warned it will be a ‘weekend of misery’ on the roads as millions of families head off on holiday after many schools in England and Wales closed this week for the summer holidays.

Several Eurostar trains to Paris have been cancelled and others diverted following today’s arson attacks.

The rail operator, which operates international services from London St Pancras, confirmed its trains would be delayed due to the ongoing problems over the Channel.

Eurostar announced that ‘all high-speed trains to and from Paris are being diverted via the classic line today’.

It was added: ‘This will extend the journey time by approximately one and a half hours. Several trains have been cancelled.

‘Eurostar’s teams are fully mobilised at stations, call centres and on board to ensure all passengers are informed and can reach their destination.’

The company said customers were informed by email, text message and on Eurostar’s website.

Affected passengers can cancel their tickets free of charge, get a refund or change their trip.

As noted below, a ‘massive arson attack’ on the French rail network has caused chaos at the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Just hours before the opening ceremony on the Seine, a fire broke out at key installations, bringing train services to a standstill and affecting around 800,000 passengers.

The Gare du Nord, the main Eurostar station in Paris, was hit by the attacks on the rail network, a spokesman for French railway company SNCF said.

As a result, several services were cancelled, including those intended to bring sports fans to the French capital.

Read our full story below:

Good morning everyone and welcome to MailOnline’s live blog covering the start of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The start of the world’s most coveted sporting event has not been exactly rosy. A “massive arson” on the French railway network caused chaos across the country for several hours before the opening ceremony.

We’ll bring you the latest updates as the day progresses, as thousands of sports fans are expected to descend on the capital amid travel chaos.