Organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympics have announced that the opening ceremony will see a radical break with tradition.
The time-honoured format is for the athlete chosen to carry the torch and enter the Olympic stadium in front of the lucky ones with bought tickets. They then light the Olympic flame, although a variety of ways have been chosen over the years to come up with innovations on this action.
However, the French have decided instead to democratise the whole process by holding the opening ceremony on the River Seine instead, which flows through Paris. More than 600,000 are expected to attend, and many of them will be able to view the spectacle for free.
This is, of course, pre-supposing that either the world is free of Covid-19 by then, or has learned to live with it to the extent that social distancing norms will not have to be observed!
Instead of the athletes and team officials marching into the stadium, a flotilla of more than 160 boats will travel six kilometres between the Pont d’Austerlitz and Pont d’Iena bridges.
That will see the procession pass some of the most iconic landmarks in Paris – Notre Dame cathedral, the Orsay and Louvre museums, Pont Neuf (the oldest bridge in the city), the Grand Palais, and the Eiffel Tower.
While tickets will need to be bought for the lower part of the river bank, those standing on the upper reaches can do so free of charge. There will also be more than 80 giant screens along the route to help people watch the entire ceremony as they wait for the boats to pass.
Meanwhile, the closing ceremony will be held in the gardens and fountains of the Trocadero, with the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the most recognisable symbol of Paris.
This is the first time in Olympic history that the opening and closing ceremonies will take place in public spaces. It will underline the theme of the Games, which is open to all. It promises to be a spectacle in all senses of the word, and may even making the opening ceremony, which can be overblown, something worth watching for a change!