2023-07-17 10:28:36
“Is something happening on the Seine? It is a little after 7 a.m. on Monday morning. Magalie crosses the Tolbiac bridge (13th century) to go to work. On the river, boats of different sizes parade one after the other. Nothing abnormal at first sight. But on closer inspection, these very early morning riverboats have no tourists on board.
Magalie had just noticed the police van at the entrance to the bridge. But this local resident was “not even aware” of the test in progress. Because since 6:30 a.m. on Monday July 17, 39 boats – all numbered – have been traveling on the river between the Austerlitz bridge and the Jena bridge, just in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Traffic cut for 4 hours
Objective: to carry out a first technical rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, which will take place in a little over a year, on July 26, 2024. An unprecedented event which will take place for the first time in the history of the Games outside.
The organizers wish to test, among other things, the maneuvers, the distances, the duration or even the video recording of this spectacle. To do this, traffic on the Seine was cut at 4 o’clock. It should reopen at noon.
A first passage was made between 6:30 and 7:45 a.m. The last boat passed about twenty minutes behind the provisional schedule. The boats – of all sizes – then turned around to return to their starting point.
Half fewer boats than on D-Day
A second visit is scheduled from 10 a.m. A mini-rehearsal without any scenography and with half as many boats as on D-Day. In total, 57 sailed the Seine on Monday: 39 representing the delegations, 18 for management (assistance and first aid) and Olympic Broadcasting Services ( OBS), the TV broadcaster of the Olympics. Added to this are the zodiacs of the Paris police headquarters.
On July 26, 2024, 10,000 athletes will parade on 116 boats. “It already gives a small idea of what it will look like,” comments Maguy from the Austerlitz bridge. But to see the artistic rendering of this ceremony, this retiree who lives close by will have to wait more than a year. The scenography designed by director Thomas Jolly will only be unveiled on D-Day.
Another headache: securing this open-air parade for which 600,000 spectators are expected.
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