Update: First Open-air Olympic Opening Ceremony to Take Place in Paris

On the local time of Friday (July 26) at 7:30 pm, a unique Olympic opening ceremony is set to take place in Paris. This will be the first time in Olympic history that the opening ceremony is held in an open space. The romantic city is expected to present a visual feast to global audiences eagerly awaiting the event.

The opening ceremony is expected to last for over three hours and will be held along the famous Seine River in Paris. Despite the disruption of the French high-speed rail network on Friday by vandals, the Olympic organizers have stated that the opening ceremony will proceed as scheduled.

Hosting the opening ceremony outside of a sports stadium poses additional security challenges. To ensure the safety of the opening ceremony, France will deploy 45,000 police officers, 10,000 soldiers, and 2,000 private security personnel.

This marks the first time in 100 years that France is hosting the Summer Olympics and the third time for Paris following the games in 1900 and 1924. Compared to previous editions, the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony has undergone significant changes with athletes taking a boat ride along the iconic water tour route in Paris, starting from the Pont d’Austerlitz and sailing 6 kilometers along the Seine River from east to west, finally arriving at the Pont de l’Iéna.

Here are the real-time updates on the Olympic opening ceremony:

In April of this year, the Olympic flame for the Paris Olympics was lit in Olympia, Greece—the ancient birthplace of the Olympics—beginning its relay journey to eventually light the Olympic flame, marking the opening of the Summer Olympics.

The relay’s first leg took place in Greece, covering a journey of approximately 3,106 miles over 11 days. Today, the flame was passed by around 10,000 torchbearers and arrived at the Olympic flame cauldron at the opening ceremony, where it will continue to burn until the closing ceremony in August.

The first torchbearer in the Olympic torch relay was Stefanos Ntouskos, a Greek Olympic gold medalist and rower.

The flame will also ignite the Paralympic flame, as the Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8, with 1,000 torchbearers passing the flame through 50 towns and cities in France.

First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, arrived in Paris on Friday to attend the Olympic opening ceremony.

“The First Lady is thrilled to be attending the Olympics, where we come together as a country to support one team: Team USA,” said Jill’s spokesperson Vanessa Valdivia in a prior statement.

Before the opening ceremony, police from around the world lined up along the pedestrian paths and streets around the Seine River, ensuring tight security measures throughout the city.

This unprecedented level of security in Paris is aimed at preventing any disruptions during the opening ceremony.

Just after 5 pm local time, light rain started in Paris. Weather could potentially be a concern for the first-ever Olympic opening ceremony held outside a sports stadium. Nevertheless, the charm of the city remains undeniable.

One of the most intriguing questions for Olympic spectators is whether Canadian singer Celine Dion will make an appearance at the opening ceremony.

Dion has been spotted in Paris, fueling rumors that she might perform at the opening ceremony.

When asked about this rumor, Etienne Thobois, the CEO of “Paris 2024,” told CNN, “You can ask, and tomorrow you will have the answer… I don’t know! It will be a spectacular event.”