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The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is set to be held on July 26 (Friday). read more
 "What time is the opening ceremony? How to watch it live?")
Paris Olympics opening ceremony will be the first to not be held inside a stadium. AP File Photo
The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics is scheduled to be held on July 26 (Friday). Instead of a traditional march into a huge stadium, thousands of athletes - ranging from 6,800 to 7,500 - will parade on more than 85 boats on the Seine River for six kilometers. In another break from tradition, it will mark the beginning of the ceremony, not the end of it.
Paris Olympics 2024: News, schedule, results
Compared to the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year and opened in an empty stadium, the Paris show will take place in front of 3,00,000 cheering spectators and an audience of VIPs and celebrities from around the world.
The opening ceremony is likely to define the mood for the rest of the July 26-August 11 Games, which organisers have pledged will be “iconic”.
Around 3,000 dancers are set to perform from the banks of the river and nearby monuments, including Notre-Dame cathedral, in a show that will promote diversity, gender equality and French history.
The landmarks and architecture of the City of Light, one of the world’s best-loved destinations, is set to feature as a backdrop both to Friday night’s show and much of the sport afterwards.
“The opening ceremony is a huge event and one that, arguably, sets the tone for the next 17 days,” Hugh Robertson, the minister charged with delivering the 2012 London Olympics, told AFP recently.
It will be the first time a Summer Olympics will open outside the main athletics stadium, a decision fraught with danger at a time when France is on its highest alert for terrorism.
For months, organisers have been dogged by questions about whether they would need to scale back or move the procession to be able to secure access to the venue better. But they have insisted throughout that there was no plan B.
A huge security perimeter has been erected along both banks of the Seine, guarded round-the-clock by nearly 50,000 police and paramilitary officers.
Another 10,000 soldiers are set to add to the security blanket along with 22,000 private security guards.
“Without any doubt, it is much more difficult to secure half of Paris than to secure a stadium, where you have 80,000 people and you can frisk them and send them through turnstiles,” Frederic Pechenard, an ex-director general of the French police, told AFP.
Police snipers are set to be positioned on every high point along the route of the river convoy, which is overlooked by hundreds of buildings.
Armed officers will also be on the boats, a security source told AFP.
The Israeli and Palestinian teams will be given extra protection, with the war in Palestine spilling on to the Games.
Organisers will be on guard against fresh protests after the Israeli football team’s first match on Wednesday was marked by the waving of Palestinian flags and the booing of the Israeli anthem.
What if it rains?
According to the latest weather forecasts for Paris, there is a chance of rain on Friday.
Meteo-France, the French weather service, is forecasting overcast skies from noon onwards, with light rain anticipated in the morning.
The weather is expected to improve in the afternoon, but the weather service has warned that showers could hit the Paris region in the evening.
If it rains, the ceremony is expected to go on as planned.
There is some good news, though. The temperatures are expected to be close to 22 degrees Celsius.
PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, and Achanta Sharath Kamal, set to feature in his fifth Olympics, are the flag bearers for India. They will lead the Indian contingent at the Paris Olympics Parade of Nations.
What time does the opening ceremony start?
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics starts at 7:30 local time (CET) or 11pm IST. It converts to 5:30pm GMT, 1:30 pm EST and is expected to last more than three hours.
Where to watch the opening ceremony?
The live telecast of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony is on the Sports18 1 SD and Sports18 1 HD TV channels in India.
How to live stream the Paris Olympics opening ceremony?
Live streaming of the Paris 2024 Olympics will be available on Jio Cinema for free.
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