– As Paris makes final preparations for the Summer Olympics, the grand opening ceremony along the river Seine on Friday has created an unprecedented security challenge that organisers hope won’t dampen the party vibe.
For the first time, a Games opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium. Instead, dozens of boats will carry thousands of athletes and performers on a 6-km (3.7-mile) floating parade down the Seine, showcasing the beauty and history of the French capital.
“It’s part of the objective to guarantee the security and to propose a fantastic celebration of the Games… But to have this kind of unique celebration, you also need to have a very, very strong security plan. And that’s the case.”
The ceremony, which will start at 7:30 p.m. local time(1730 GMT), will be “a large fresco” celebrating Paris, France and the Games and will interweave the traditional parade by athletes with artistic performances and elements of protocol, said Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony.
