The long-awaited 2024 Olympic Games will begin on July 26. The main event of the fourth anniversary will start with a very unusual opening ceremony. For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, all the action will take place outside the stadium: on the Seine and near the main attractions of Paris.
Of course, most of the details of the upcoming show are being kept under wraps, but we’ve compiled for you everything that’s known about the upcoming ceremony.
Parade of athletes – on boats!
Paris decided not to hold the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in the usual sense. The organizers created a “bold, original and unique” spectacle. They are convinced that this year’s ceremony will go down in history as one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Games.
Sena river
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Perhaps the most important feature is that for the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, all the action will take place not in the stadium, but simply in the city centre. The ceremony begins with an unusual parade of athletes: 10.5 thousand athletes will sail on almost 100 boats along the Seine River. The delegations will begin their journey at the Austerlitz Bridge and finish 6 km later at Trocadéro Square, right next to the Eiffel Tower. During the journey, athletes will be able to see the main attractions of the French capital: Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Grand Palais, the Pont Neuf bridge, the Invalides and much more.
Each boat will have cameras and special equipment installed, so that spectators can see the emotions of all the athletes.
“Organising a ceremony on the Seine is much more difficult than in a stadium, but it will be many times more spectacular,” said Tony Estangue, head of the Games’ organising committee.
Unfortunately for Russian and Belarusian fans, neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to take part in the opening ceremony.
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Record number of spectators
A record number of spectators will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris. Almost 600,000 people will be able to enjoy the spectacle in person. 300,000 people will watch the ceremony from the stands set up on the embankments: 222,000 tickets were sold free of charge, the rest, between 90 and 2,700 euros, will be able to watch the event for those who have not purchased tickets. From the balconies of houses and in special fan zones
The television broadcast is expected to be watched by more than 1.5 billion people around the world.
Due to the large number of spectators, security measures have been tightened in Paris. Near the ceremony site, 17 metro stations, as well as all museums and attractions, will be closed, and 45,000 police officers will be on duty. In addition, snipers and anti-drone systems will be placed in nearby houses to protect the athletes.
In addition, to reinforce security measures, the skies over Paris will be completely closed to civil aviation on July 26. All airports in the French capital will be closed on that day.
The opening ceremony will include the lighting of the Olympic flame:
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Many details of the opening ceremony are still being kept secret. In order not to reveal the idea, the organisers had to abandon rehearsals at the Seine.
In January 2024, director Thomas Jolly, who participated in the ceremony, revealed some details of the event. He promised to demonstrate the contrasts of France and all its cultural achievements:
“I would like to show France in all its diversity. The ceremony will illustrate the richness and diversity of the different cultures that shape the country’s identity and serve as a source of inspiration.”
More than 3,000 artists and 400 dancers will take part in the show. They will present their performances directly during the parade of boats, on the neighbouring boats, bridges and embankments, and during the main ceremony on the Place Trocadero. It is said that the artists may even occupy buildings important to France, such as the Louvre and Notre Dame.
Designer Daphne Berkey said that the artists will receive unusual costumes in which vintage will be organically combined with modernity.
Major questions remain about the quality of the Seine’s water:
Dead water: Is Paris’ main river ready for the 2024 Olympics swimming competition?
French President Emmanuel Macron is also expected to give a speech at the main ceremony. No other celebrity appearances have yet been announced, but two secret guests are known to be present. Le Canard enchaîné writes that the government will allocate 2.7 million euros for performances by Celine Dion and R&B singer Aya Nakamura.
After sunset, a grand light show will be organised in Paris.
Scandals involving protests by artists
But the entire beautiful opening ceremony could be interrupted by protests by the artists taking part in the show. The CGT Espectacle union, which defends the rights of dancers, singers and actors, has planned a strike for 26 July. The organisation is unhappy with the “flagrant inequality” between the 3,000 participants in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Between 250 and 300 dancers were hired under shameful conditions, without any benefits or knowledge of the transfer of related rights,” the union told AFP.
According to CGT Spectacle, despite the “identical contracts”, the difference in salaries between the artists amounts to 1,610 euros. If the problem is not resolved, some dancers may refuse to take part in the ceremony.
It is not just the rights of dancers that are being violated at the 2024 Games:
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The opening ceremony’s dance director, Maud Le Pladec, said she was aware of the problem and would try to resolve it before the start of the Olympics.
“The issue of dancers’ remuneration affects and worries me greatly. The organising committee is working very seriously on this issue and important negotiations are currently underway with the unions,” said Le Pladec.
