Paris, Despite Terrorism Scars, Prepares an Olympic Opening Without Walls.
ONE CEREMONY, SEVERAL FIRSTS;
The opening ceremony for this summer’s Paris Games however, will not be held inside the barricaded confines of a stadium. With France at its highest level of terrorism alert, making the event safe is complicated.
A terrorist attack of 2015 that left her city angry and heartbroken persuaded Paris's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to campaign for the Olympic Games.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium. Paris 2024 is breaking new ground by bringing sports into the city and the same will be true of the Opening Ceremony, set to be held in the heart of the city along its main artery: the Seine.
Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine with boats for each national delegation. These boats will be equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close. Winding their way from east to west, the 10,500 athletes will cross through the centre of Paris, the overall playing field for the Games on which these competitors will display their sporting prowess over the next 16 days. The parade will come to the end of its 6-kilometre route in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.
Holding a ceremony open to a large audience, with no admission fee for most of its spectators, is a major first. Fans won’t need tickets to access the upper quays, but those wishing to access the lower quays, from the Austerlitz bridge to the Iéna bridge, will need to buy tickets. Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers will allow everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this show reverberating throughout the French capital.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games bold, original and unique. On 26 July 2024, Paris 2024 will offer an Opening Ceremony that is certain to join the most memorable moments in Olympic history.
It will be a ceremony with free admission for many spectators and residents from Paris and it's region,as well as interested Visitors from all over France and Other Countries.
