It was the semi-final of the Olympic Games between two of China’s biggest badminton stars yet without fans it felt like a knock up in a community hall.

Badminton might not be known for raucous crowds but the eerie silence inside the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza that day was sadly one of my abiding memories from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

As much as it was exciting to witness great sporting moments on the biggest stage, the lack of spectators due to COVID-19 restrictions took away from the whole experience and I am almost certain that all athletes would agree with that.

Thankfully, we are now in a post-pandemic world with fans packing out stadiums again and we are gearing up for an Olympics that will be welcoming millions of people from all over the world.

Last Thursday (May 11) marked another key moment in Paris’ preparations for the Games with the launch of the second phase of its ticketing ballot.

The appetite among sporting fans to get a piece of the action was clear when organisers revealed that more than one million had purchased tickets within 48 hours of them going on sale. 

Prior to the latest round of sales, 3.25 million tickets had been sold while another batch of 3.5 million are expected to be made available at the end of this year.

Even the high prices that drew criticism from many including athletes have not put millions of people off from registering for tickets in a bid to ensure there is no seat spare at Paris 2024.

Just the thought of French fans roaring with delight or venting their anger in a packed venue makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

But question marks remaining over how organisers and French authorities will be able to cope with such a huge influx of people converging on the capital for two weeks.

We are all praying that we do not see a repeat of the harrowing scenes that took place at last year’s UEFA Champions League final held at the Stade de France between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Supporters became caught in bottlenecks and crushes outside the ground as police used pepper spray and heavy-handed tactics that were alarming to see.

An inquiry subsequently blamed French security authorities for the congestion outside the ground and the shocking events that day should be example of how not to handle crowds when putting together their plans to secure Paris 2024.

French officials have since insisted that lessons have been learned from that chaotic day as they look put together their security and policing team for the Games.

An average of 17,000 security personnel is expected to be needed each day at the Olympics, while approximately 35,000 police officers and gendarmes are due to be used during the open-air Opening Ceremony that could be held in front of as many as 600,000 spectators.

But there are concerns among the French Army that they also might need to be drafted in at the last minute.

While officers on the ground will be key, the French Government has also controversially adopted a Bill to use artificial intelligence powered surveillance cameras during Paris Games.

Critics argue that it infringes on the right to privacy but this week the French Constitutional Council cleared its use for the Games due to the "particular risks of serious breaches of public order".

Those comments come at a time of social unrest in France and many other countries across the world.

Hundreds of thousands of French citizens took to the streets earlier this month to demonstrate against the Government’s pension reforms.

The violent May Day riots resulted in the detention of more than 500 protestors and injuries sustained to over 400 police officers and gendarmes.

According to French media, national trade union General Confederation of Labour is planning to stage more demonstrations at several sporting occasions as part of a "100 days of action and anger" against pension reforms.

Among the events that are at risk of being targeted include the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix and French Open.

There are concerns that next year's Games could also be disrupted as protestors continue to make a stand against major sporting competitions.

In Britain, this year has already seen events become be a target for protests, with animal rights activities storming the Grand National and a "Just Stop Oil" demonstrator halting World Snooker Championship by pouring orange powder paint over a table.

There were also notable incidents in France last year with climate activists sitting down in the middle of the route of the Tour de France and one interrupting the French Open by tying herself to the net.

Organisers of the Australian Open had to deal with pro-Russian demonstrations at this year’s with fans bearing flags featuring an image of the country’s President Vladimir Putin and a spectator wearing a T-shirt with a "Z" symbol on it.

The national flags of Russia and Belarus were banned at the Australian Open as well as the former flags of the Russian Empire - mostly sporting black-and-yellow characteristics.

The Z symbol - associated with the Russian military and as national propaganda insignia in the country - were also forbidden by organisers of the tennis Grand Slam.

Tennis authorities have allowed players from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutral while other sports imposed an outright ban in response to the war in Ukraine.

With the International Olympic Committee now opening the door for athletes from the two countries to return to the global sporting stage under a neutral banner, there is a chance we could see more demonstrations like those at the Australian Open.

As insidethegames exclusively revealed last week, spectators were banned from the World Judo Championships in Qatari capital Doha after they refused to remove a Russian military symbol.

Russian State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova described the incident as "another provocation from Ukraine" - a nation that boycotted the tournament because of the presence of athletes from her country.

Judo is one of many Olympics sports that have agreed to welcome back Russians and Belarusians after the IOC ruled in late March that they should be readmitted as long as they do not support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the military.

Should the IOC agree to the same rules for Paris 2024, athletes would compete as individual neutral athletes, with national flags, symbols and anthem banned.

But organisers will also need to keep a close eye on what is going on in the stands to ensure there are no pro-Putin demonstrations or symbols that show a support for the war among spectators attending the Games.

The World Judo Championships also saw protests against Israel, with a group of young spectators chanting "Free Palestine" and waving the country’s flag on the opening day of competition.

Events last week further underlined the challenges facing organisers when it comes to spectators.

While it will be amazing to see Olympic venues rocking three years after they were closed off from fans, crowd control will present one of the great challenges for Paris 2024 officials.