Sports
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris is scheduled for Friday.
Instead of a standard march to the stadium, some 6,800 athletes will parade six kilometers along the Seine in over 90 boats. This might be the start of the ceremony, not the top – one other break with tradition.
The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and is predicted to last greater than three hours.
The parade starts on the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It circles two islands in town center after which passes several bridges and gates. The athletes on board the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues, including the La Concorde Urban Park (3×3 basketball, breakdancing, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding), the Invalides (archery, athletics – marathon finish, road cycling – time trial start) and the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo). The parade ends on the Iéna Bridge, which connects the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine with the Trocadéro district on the correct bank. The finale of the ceremony will happen on the Trocadéro, where French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the opening speech, amongst others.
The ceremony might be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms – NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app.
A preview will air at noon EDT on NBC, with live coverage starting at 1:30 p.m. and an prolonged primetime encore at 7:30 p.m.
Some 220,000 invited and security-monitored spectators are expected to fill the upper tiers along the Seine, and one other 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower river bank and around Plaza Trocadéro.
Those who were unable to get tickets in Paris can watch the ceremony on 80 giant screens arrange all around the city.
A significant disruption to coach traffic plunged Paris into uncertainty just hours before the ceremony was scheduled to start.
There was no immediate indication that a series of what one government official called “criminal fires” near the tracks would affect the launch.
In addition to the athletes participating within the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other sportspeople will perform on the opening and shutting 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 each of the pop singers will perform on the opening ceremony.
There were light showers in Paris on Friday morning, and heavier showers are forecast for the time the ceremony begins. This means spectators and athletes are more likely to get wet because the Seine has no roof.
If it rains, the ceremony is predicted to happen as planned.
image credit : www.boston.com