Page 9 - The Katten Kattwalk - Fall 2024 - Issue 28

Going for the Gold

France joined other EU countries in an effort to seize vast

quantities of counterfeit merchandise this year, with many items

related to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

By Cynthia Martens

eracles was a son of Zeus who symbolized The counterfeit goods included soccer jerseys,
strength and courage. In a nod to Greek athletic footwear, keychains, stickers, toys, glasses
mythology — and in anticipation of an and even Olympic medals.
Hincrease in illicit sports merchandise According to French financial publication Les Echos,
during the Paris 2024 games — France assigned a
special team of customs officials to flex their muscles France has seen a four-fold increase in the volume of
counterfeit merchandise seized since 2019.
under the banner “Operation Heracles.”

On August 1, the French
Ministry in Charge of Public
Accounts announced that 80
of those officials had seized
145,000 counterfeit items in
eastern Paris, simultaneously
dismantling a workshop
where fake products were
being made.

Operation Heracles was
part of a broader anti-
counterfeiting operation of
the European Anti-Fraud
Office (OLAF), French
customs and the customs
bureaus of several other
EU member states. A press
statement highlighted the
separate seizure of 500,000
counterfeit items, of which
50,000 were directly related
to the Olympics, and the
involvement of 5,800
French customs officials in
monitoring merchandise
related to the Paris 2024
games.

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