THE PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES TO OPEN ON THE SEINE

Everything is now set to go for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. From July 26 through August 11, Paris will be the backdrop of the event and temporary home to 10,500 athletes from 206 nations.

As per tradition, the Olympics will begin with the Opening Ceremony. But that’s where tradition will end. The City of Light has organized a unique event for the occasion, with the parade taking place on the River Seine and not in a stadium. And it will be open to anyone who can make it to the banks of the river. As the boats pass by, there will be light shows, holograms, a floating symphony orchestra, and dozens of performances, including a diving platform and BMX stunt riding.

 

The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games

Fans will be able to watch the parade from the banks of the Seine. Traditionally, the ceremony with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron takes place in the Olympic stadium. Paris, however, has opted for an original twist on tradition that’s bound to be remembered for years to come.

Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history and an Olympic celebrity, recently made the rather intriguing statement, “I think it’s going to be one of the best, if not the best, Opening Ceremonies. Imagine everyone standing outside, across the bridges, cheering people on. It’s never been done before.”

 

The parade to pass under Paris’s most famous bridges

The athletes will parade by on boats, one for each nation. On each one, there will be cameras so that people back home can see their country’s athletes up close.

The parade will set off from Pont Austerlitz at 7:30 p.m. on July 26, pass by Île Saint Louis and Île de la Cité (the two islands in the city center), and travel under Paris’s most famous bridges. From the boats, athletes will see some of the official venues of the Games, including Place de la Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, and the Grand Palais. The parade will then end at Pont d’Iéna in front of the Trocadéro, where the final part of the ceremony will take place.

Six hundred thousand spectators are expected, ten times more than a stadium can accommodate, with the event broadcast all over the world.

Fans who want to watch the show from the upper quays of the Seine can do so for free. People who’d prefer to sit in the lower quays will need to buy a ticket. Along the route from Austerlitz to Ièna, eighty giant screens and speakers will be set up so that everyone can take in even more of the event.

The stars of the parade will, of course, be the athletes, who’ll then move from the boats to the stage with major performers from around the world. In another break with tradition, Italy will have two flag bearers: Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump) and Arianna Errigo (fencing).
 

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