&A few hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, bad news is piling up for the organizing committee.
The essentials
- The big day for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the grand and majestic opening ceremony scheduled for from 7:30 p.m. on the Seine.
- &A few hours before the ceremony, the bad news is piling up. First of all, the weather is very capricious in the Paris region and could complicate the ceremony. The controversies surrounding the dancers and the working conditions not respected are also in the headlines. While the "free" places cause some constraints. Some people have given up on the idea of going to the ceremony between the waiting time, the standing position and accessibility that is not very obvious for pregnant women and disabled people. And what about transport, saturated and with closed metro lines.
- Follow the latest news on the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Live
15:20 – The main heads of state expected at the ceremony
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Andrezj Duda, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the new Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof are expected to attend. The new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attend the river parade. Hungary will be represented by its President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok. King Felipe VI of Spain is also present. Denmark will be represented by the royal couple Frederik X and Queen Mary. King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Mathilde will be present. The presidents of Gabon Brice Oligui Nguema, of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadára and of Cameroon Paul Biya will be present, alongside Paul Kagamá, at the head of Rwanda. The United States will be represented with the First Lady, Jill Biden, who confirmed its presence.
15:00 – The mind-boggling figures of the security system
In addition to the 45,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilized on this opening ceremony day (35,000 in the following days), a contingent of 10,000 soldiers will be added. “High-point” snipers will be scattered across the rooftops of Paris all along the Seine to neutralize any armed person who might target the crowd, athletes or heads of state. The personnel of the RAID, the GIGN and the BRI are also deployed. contribution, while nearly a hundred mine-clearing divers will be ready to intervene in the event of an explosive charge being detected during the river parade.
Discover the images of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
14:40 – Thomas Bach not worried after the attack on the SNCF
The Chairman of the Committee Olympic international, Thomas Bach, said this Friday that he had “full confidence in the French authorities” following the sabotage of the Olympic network. SNCF à a few hours from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games. "No, I have no worries. We have full confidence in the French authorities. All measures are being taken and the French authorities are being assisted by 180 other intelligence services around the world,” he explained. Thomas Bach
14:20 – The journey of the opening ceremony
Discover the full route of this opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the Seine with more than six kilometers of an immense walk that aims to be grandiose.
14:00 – Robert-Michon: “We'll party even in the rain”
” You have to be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Of course, it's super stressful. But we are well surrounded, we are lucky to be here, so that erases everything. We would like the weather to be nice and for us to be comfortable. But even in the rain, we will carry the flag, we will be proud, we will party just the same. Nothing will stop us,” explained the record specialist.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,00013:40 – 12 paintings in total
The route of this opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will be made up of twelve scenes that will celebrate the athletes, tell “a story of what France is”, a country rich in its “diversity”, and celebrate “the whole world united”, indicated Thomas Jolly. Novelist Leïla Slimani, historian Patrick Boucheron and screenwriter Fanny Herrero have promised "the opposite of a virile, heroic story", in a show that will play with "humor" the "cliches"
13:20 – Bad predictions are confirmed
“The forecast has completely reversed since yesterday: models now predict a 70 to 80% chance of rain during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” Cyrille Duchesne, head of the forecasting department at La Chaîne Météo, told Agence France-Presse. Let us recall that less than twenty-four hours ago, forecasters were rather optimistic and anticipated “calm” weather, although cloudy, with only a “small risk” of precipitation.
13:00 – No pressure for Florent Manaudou
“There is no added pressure, I don't feel it, I like it. I find it enjoyable because I think I am happy enough in my life to be able to play this role for two weeks. I feel like it takes the pressure off me,” he adds. “It felt good to have been “elected and recognized by the athletes. It's like I've checked one more thing” launched the swimmer who will carry the flag of the Blues.
12:40 – Why Greece parades first during the ceremony ?
Do you know since when and why Greece inaugurates this parade ? It was in Amsterdam in 1928 that the tradition of having the Greek delegation parade first was introduced, due to the Greek and ancient origin of the Olympic Games. Because as a reminder, the Olympic Games were created in ancient Greece, at Olympia, in 776 B.C. The alphabetical order of nations is also always preferred, but it also depends on the language of the host country.
12:20 – The last bearer warned only today
According to Tony Estanguet, the person who will occupy this role does not know yet either! This morning, on France Inter, the president of Paris 2024 indicated: “I plan to notify the last torchbearer today to try to maintain confidentiality and a bit of surprise”. Before adding, “so he or she doesn't know”
12:00 – What is the largest and smallest delegation ?
The largest delegation will be that of the United States 592 athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The smallest, with only one member, will be Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru (an island in Oceania located in Micronesia) and Somalia.
11:40 – Several French athletes will not be present
Between competition and pleasure, you sometimes have to choose. If Florent Manaudou will be present, he will be the only one from the French swimming delegation to be there. Mélanie Hénique wanted to participate but the officials did not want to make a special case as indicated by Le Parisien. Basketball will also be absent. We play the next day (Saturday) at 5 p.m., recalls general manager Boris Diaw. If we were in Paris, if we had played two days later, it would have been possible, but not here.” Rugby 7s, the handball teams will also not be present.
11:20 – Who will be the last ball carrier ?
This is THE question of the opening ceremony. Who will be the last bearer of the Olympic flame and will light the cauldron ? Several names are circulating, one with insistence, that of Marie José Perec. The three-time Olympic champion is an Olympic legend and would fully deserve this honor. The name of Zinedine Zidane also comes up insistently as does a surprise name, that of Jean Dujardin due to the presence of a certain Zorro to light this flame (the actor goes play in the series).
11:00 – Dancers in danger on the roofs ?
If the rain can pose some problems for the dancers in the opening ceremony, certain associations have alerted us to the possibility of delaying the event. public services on the presence of asbestos on the roofs of Paris, demanding a right of withdrawal for artists. After the controversies over working conditions and salaries, this new point is delicate to address. manage for the organizers.
10:40 – Other stars as standard bearers
Several stars are expected with their national flag. For the United States, legend LeBron James and tennis player Coco Gauff will carry the American flag. First, it is the Greek and other NBA star, Giannis Antetokoumpo who will inaugurate the parade. athletes. The Italian Olympic champion and fanciful Gianmarco Tamberi will also be there. honor.
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