Unique boat-driven Olympic opening ceremony expecting 300k fans in Paris
Paris will be chock full of excited sports fans this week eager to take in an Olympic first.
The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be hosting its opening ceremony on Friday in a way that has never been done before — on boats.
About 300,000 fans are expected to be in the City of Light to watch the opening ceremonies, taking place on the water along the Seine River, which runs through the heart of Paris.
The CBC’s Devin Herox broke down some of the numbers you can expect at tomorrow’s grand opening of the Games.
Some numbers and details about the opening ceremony on the Seine.
94 boats. 206 delegations. 7,000 athletes. 45,000 police/security. It will last 3 hours and 45 mins. 300,000 spectators.
Paris airspace will be closed for 6 hours.
They’ll light 1 cauldron to begin the Olympics.
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) July 25, 2024
This will mark the first time that the Olympics have not held an opening ceremony inside a stadium. Athletes will be shown off to spectators via boats along the river representing each country equipped with cameras to help streamline the viewing experience.
The boats will follow a six-kilometre parade route down the Seine and will pass a few of Paris’ striking Olympic venues along the way.
Canadian Olympic fans will keep a close eye on their country’s boat as they have two flagbearers for the opening ceremony, with weightlifter Maude Charron and sprinter Andre De Grasse getting the honours for this year’s event.
Fans in attendance will also get quite a show off of the water, with a few big-name musical acts rumoured to provide some of the entertainment. Nothing has been officially confirmed, but both Celine Dion and Lady Gaga have arrived in France and may be among the performers headlining the ceremony. Acrobats and tightrope walkers are also expected to dazzle audiences.
The ceremony will start at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT on Friday and will begin with the raising of the French flag and the playing of France’s national anthem. From there, the iconic parade of nations will take place with the boats sailing down the Seine River.
POV: You're an athlete during opening ceremony#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony @Olympics
📹 Paris 2024 pic.twitter.com/iZRGk7htlc— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 25, 2024
The Canadian government is currently asking travellers to exercise a high degree of caution if they are in France for the Games due to an elevated threat of terrorism. An event of this magnitude will require quite a bit of security. Theroux reported that about 45,000 police/security personnel will be on hand for the ceremonies, and airspace above Paris will be closed for six hours during the event.
Over a billion people are expected to tune into the event through TV or streaming services. If you’re watching from Canada you will have a variety of ways to watch the ceremony for free, including through CBC’s Gem app.
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