The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be held on a river in Paris, France.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris could be moved from the Seine River to the stadium in case of a terrorist threat.
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Responding to a question about possible terrorist risks, Macron said on RMC radio “We have a plan B and even a plan C. We are preparing them in parallel. We will analyze the situation in real-time. The event could be limited to the Trocadero dam (on the Seine), or It can be moved. (Stadium) Stade de France, as the classics are being done.”
Regarding concerns about water quality in the Seine not being high enough to host a swimming event there, Macron noted that cleaning up the Seine-et-Marne would be “one of the main components of the legacy” of the Olympics and confirmed his intention to personally swim in the river.
He also said, regarding the water quality in the Seine not being high enough to host a swimming event there, that cleaning the Seine-et-Marne would be “a major element of the Olympic legacy” and affirmed his intention to personally swim the river.
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Macron himself admitted that in terms of public transport readiness, “France is not at its best.” According to him, the Paris Metro is inaccessible for people with disabilities. Working on this matter will cost a lot of money. He also expressed hope that trade unions will not go on strike during the Olympics
Earlier, the head of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gérald Darmanin, said 600,000 could attend the opening ceremony. But later it was said that the program would be watched by 326 thousand viewers.
220 thousand will be held through free tickets. Another 104,000 spectators will be located on the lower embankment of the Seine.
Ticket prices reach 2.7 thousand euros. He said that for the first time in history, the opening ceremony will be held outside the stadium on the banks of the Seine River.
He noted that 180 ships will take part in the parade at Seine, from where a light show will be broadcast. 94 of them will accommodate 10.5 thousand athletes participating in the competition.
Darmanin noted that during the ceremony the airspace over Paris will be closed within a radius of 150 kilometers.
Security for the ceremony in the Ile-de-France metropolitan region will be provided by 45 thousand police officers.
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The Summer Olympics in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympics from August 28 to September 8.
