2024-04-19 17:44:12
With sunset and moonlight glinting on the river, the spectacular opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will last nearly four hours.
A total of 205 delegations will parade on more than 80 boats along the Seine. The ceremony will move slowly from east to west, bridge by bridge, winding six kilometers from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Pont d’Jena, writes AP, quoted by BTA.
The event will end at 11:15 p.m. local time with artistic performances preceding the athletes’ parade.
The athletes will pass around 320,000 spectators, surrounded by security cordons on the upper and lower levels of the embankments. Others will watch giant screens broadcasting footage of the ceremony.
“For one night, the Seine will be transformed into a huge open-air stage,” said Paris Games director of ceremonies Marie-Catherine Ettori during a media briefing.
After the 10,500 athletes disembark from their boats, the final part of the ceremony will take place in the Trocadero square overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
Amid the anticipation of something so unique, there is tension surrounding the safety of the July 26 ceremony to kick off the Games.
Late last month, France raised its security alert to the highest level after a deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and Islamic State claimed responsibility.
French President Emmanuel Macron struck a cautious note this week when he said the unprecedented outdoor event, expected to bring 100 world leaders to the levees, could be moved to a more conventional opening ceremony at the Stade de France, the national stadium, if the security threat is considered too high.
Without disputing what Macron said, France’s sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera and others remained optimistic that the show would be held on the Seine.
“We are working hard on Plan A, which remains the central scenario and the very, very dominant scenario,” Oudea-Castera said at the Olympic 100 Days To Go event on Wednesday. “We continue to work on that fantastic ceremony on the Seine.”