France's rail network vandalised before Olympics opening ceremony

Vandals targeted France's high-speed TGV network with a series of coordinated actions that brought major disruption to some of the country's busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

The state-owned railway operator said arsonists had targeted installations along the lines connecting Paris with the country's west, north and east and that traffic would be severely disrupted during the weekend.

"Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines. Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations," the SNCF said in a statement.

Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera condemned the vandalism.

"It's completely appalling," she told BFMTV. "To target the games is to target France.".