Olympics 2024: What you need to know about the Paris opening ceremony
Paris will begin its Olympics extravaganzawith an unprecedented opening ceremony on the river Seine on 26 July (27 July NZT).
Here is what you need to know about the ceremony:
What will we see?
Organizers have promised a show like no other.
Unlike the previous Olympics, the Paris 2024 opening ceremony will not occur in
a stadium. Instead, dozens of boats will carry thousands of athletes and performers
on a 6km route along the Seine.
Departing from the Austerlitz bridge, the parade will sail by Notre-Dame de Paris
cathedral and arrive near the Eiffel Tower, after passing under bridges and gateways,
including the Pont des Arts and Pont Neuf, and near many of the French capital's
landmarks.
Organizers have said they will take advantage of the historical monuments, the
riverbanks, the sky, and water "and there won't be a single riverbank or bridge
that won't be filled with music, dance, or performance".
The show will have 12 parts, some of which will play on clichés about France.
Athletes and artists will take part in the parade together.
"Everything will be woven together, including the protocol (the speeches, the
opening by the head of state, the anthems, etc.)," organizers Thomas Jolly et Damien
Gabriac told Le Monde newspaper.
The ceremony is due to start at 7:30 pm and last about four hours.
Organizers said it would reach a climax at about 9:35 pm when the
sun sets.
Those in New Zealand can watch on Sky Sports, stream on Sky Sport Now, or watch
free-to-air on Sky Open (available on Freeview Channel 15 or stream free via Sky Go).
The show will be attended by over 100 heads of state and government and over 300,000
spectators will watch from the river's banks, organizers said, adding that there will be
some 80 giant screens along the way.
The Paris 2024 committee said there would be about 10,500 athletes and some 222,000
people will get free invites, while 104,000 will have to buy a ticket.
Boats carrying the athletes will be equipped with cameras to allow those watching on
TV or their phone to get a close-up view, the committee said.
There have been training sessions, and boats will be stored in a warehouse for a week
before the opening ceremony for security reasons.
What about security?
Organizing the ceremony in the heart of an iconic city like Paris may make for great
pictures, but it's also a major security challenge. Some 45,000 police will be dispatched
to ensure the ceremony's security, including special intervention forces. Snipers will be deployed on the top of buildings
along the route. An anti-drone system will be in place.
Spectators and residents alike will need to carry permits on a QR code to get
anywhere near the riverbanks from 18 July. Cars won't be allowed into the area,
with few exceptions. Nearby metro stations will be closed, as will many of the bridges.
No planes will be allowed to fly over Paris - unless they are part of the ceremony.
With wars in Gaza and Ukraine and security concerns at home, France already
has its security alert at its highest level.
Officials have said there were no specific terror threats to the ceremony. But should
specific concerns arise, there are backup plans, that would either see the ceremony
limited to the Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower, or the Stade de France stadium.
The main potential risk would be from a lone attacker, officials have said over the past
months, while also flagging potential petty crime and possible protests, from
environmental activists, the far right and far left, the pro-Palestinian movement
or others.
A man was arrested in May in Saint-Etienne, suspected of planning an attack in the name of Islamic State at the city's soccer
stadium during the Olympics. A right-wing sympathizer was arrested in eastern
France in July on suspicion of plotting attacks to take place during the Olympics.
Tokyo's opening ceremony was overshadowed by the Covid pandemic.
Photo: Photosport Ltd
Past Summer Olympics' opening ceremonies
Tokyo 2020: The opening ceremony was overshadowed by the Covid
pandemic. Postponed by a year due to the coronavirus, the Games
were held largely without spectators.
Rio 2016: A financially constrained Brazil had little choice but to put
on a more low-key show, with minimal technology and a heavy
dependence on the vast talent of Brazil and its Carnival party traditions.
London 2012: The 86-year-old Queen Elizabeth put aside royal reserve
in a video where she stepped onto a helicopter with James Bond actor
Daniel Craig to be carried aloft from Buckingham Palace as part of a
dizzying ceremony designed to highlight the grandeur and eccentricities
of the nation.
Beijing 2008: About one billion people, or 15 percent of the world's
population, watched the opening ceremony, which involved 10,000
performers, 2008 drummers, and a dramatic sky-walking finale.
