The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is set for Friday.
Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). This will start the ceremony, not mark the end of it, another break from tradition.
The ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and is expected to last more than three hours.
The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways. Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues including La Concorde Urban Park (3X3 basketball, breaking, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding), Invalides (archery, athletics — marathon finish, road cycling — time trial start) and the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo). The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank. The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.
The ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms — NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app.
A preview will air on NBC at noon EDT, with live coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. and an enhanced prime-time encore at 7:30 p.m.
About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators are expected to fill the upper tiers of the Seine's banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.
Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.
A major disruption of train traffic plunged Paris into uncertainty only hours before the scheduled start of the ceremony.
There were no immediate indication that what a government official was calling a series of “criminal fires” near the tracks would impact the start.
In addition to the athletes who will participate in the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other athletes will be featured in the opening and closing ceremonies. Most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps. NBC News reported that Celine Dion and Lady Gaga have arrived in Paris amid speculation that one or both of the pop singers will perform at the opening ceremony.
Light showers hit Paris on Friday morning with more forecasted for about the time the ceremony starts. It means there's a good chance onlookers and athletes will get wet since there is no roof over the Seine.
If it rains, the ceremony is expected to go on as planned.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
A worker operates on stands along the Seine river at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Workers operate along the Seine river at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
The sun sets against the Hotel des Invalides as a spectator walks on the Alexander III bridge over the Seine River, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Paris, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
A bomb squad boat navigates the Seine River as officials prepare for Friday's opening ceremony, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 22, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
