The 33rd edition of the Olympics will be kicking off at Paris on July 26 at 11 p.m. (IST)
Paris Olympics opening ceremony itself will be an unique one breaking the traditional march into the stadium. Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 10,500 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the centre of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways. Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues including La Concorde Urban Park (3X3 basketball, breaking, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding), Invalides (archery, athletics — marathon finish, road cycling — time trial start) and the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo).
The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank. The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver the opening remarks.
About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators are expected to fill the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.
