Dawn Staley address Paris protest

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is confident her team’s season-opening trip to Paris will proceed safely despite ongoing protests and civil unrest across France.

The top-ranked Gamecocks are scheduled to face Maryland on Monday, November 2, at Adidas Arena in Paris as part of the Oui-Play women’s basketball event. However, demonstrations over rising living costs, fuel prices and school conditions have raised concerns among some travelers and fans.

Speaking before the team’s departure, Staley emphasized that player safety remains the program’s top priority. She said South Carolina has maintained communication with people in France to understand the situation and prepare accordingly.

“We’ve actually got people who are there, that’s giving us just some insight on how things are,” Staley said, noting that some stores were closing earlier than usual. She added that event organizers had assured the teams that the venue would be secure and that security arrangements were being coordinated.