The Diplomat
On July 26 in Paris, King Felipe and Queen Letizia will attend the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, which, for the first time in history, will not take place in a stadium.
As reported by the Royal House, “Paris 2024 is breaking new ground in sporting competition by bringing sport to the city, and the same will happen with the opening ceremony, which will be held in the heart of the city, throughout its main artery, the Seine.”
The inaugural parade of 10-500 athletes will follow the course of the Seine River, from east to west, on a six-kilometer route through the center. From the French capital. It will depart from the Austerlitz Bridge, next to the Jardin des Plantes, go around the two islands in the city center, the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité, and pass under the eight or ten bridges and walkways.
On board, athletes will be able to see some of the official settings of the Games, such as Parc Urbain la Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais and, finally, the Iéna bridge, where the parade will stop before reaching the Trocadéro , where the remaining aspects of the Olympic protocol and the final shows will be held. The athletes’ boats, one for each national delegation, will be equipped with cameras so that television viewers and Internet users can see the athletes up close.
“The celebration of a ceremony open to a very large public, with no entry cost for the majority of its spectators, is a great first,” highlighted the Royal House. Spectators will not need tickets to access the upper piers and only spectators wishing to access the lower piers, from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Iéna Bridge, will need to purchase tickets.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators will be able to attend the festivities on the banks of the Seine. In addition, eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers will allow everyone to enjoy the show, which will resonate throughout the French capital. “The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be the largest ever held in the history of the Games. It will be open to everyone: Parisians, visitors from all over France and the entire world,” added the Royal House.
