The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony is just three days away, and excitement is building for what will be the first Olympic Games Opening Ceremony held outside a stadium. Set to be a spectacular event, athletes will parade in boats along the Seine, transforming the French capital into a grand stage.
Insidethegames, an olympic news website, said the highly anticipated event will take place on 26 July, marking the start of an Olympic Games that will run through 11th August.
The Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is scheduled for Friday, 26 July. The festivities will begin at 19:30 CEST and are anticipated to last over three hours, with the city having already lockdown specific areas.
Paris 2024 will make history as the first Olympic Summer Games to hold the Opening Ceremony outside a stadium. Instead of the usual scenes of athletes marching around an athletics track, attendees and viewers will enjoy a vibrant river parade through the heart of the French capital.
The Seine, the city’s main waterway,
will replace the traditional track, with the quays serving as spectator stands. The setting sun reflecting off iconic Parisian landmarks will create a stunning backdrop for the event. After numerous tests, including Mayor Anne Hidalgo even taking a dip, it is ready to host.
The parade route along the Seine will offer a visual journey through Parisian history and architecture. Starting at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes, the flotilla will travel west for six kilometres along the Seine, passing under historic bridges and iconic landmarks like Notre-Dame and the Louvre. It will also pass some Games venues, including the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais.
Grouped with their national teams on the boats, the athletes will ultimately arrive opposite the Trocadero, the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower, where the official protocols will be conducted, the Olympic cauldron will be lit, and the Paris 2024 Games will be officially declared open.
Nearly 100 boats, carrying approxima
tely 10,500 athletes, will float along the Seine during the parade. The larger of the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will have their own boats, while the smaller ones will share vessels.
Competition begins two days prior to the Opening Ceremony as men’s football and rugby sevens competitions begin across France and at the Stade de France respectively.
Source: Emirates News Agency