- Six-kilometre parade of athletes in boats to travel down Seine
- ‘The entire city will be turned into a vast Olympic stadium’
Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics have unveiled a spectacular and audacious plan for the biggest opening ceremony in history, with a 6km parade of athletes in boats along the River Seine watched by more than 600,000 people. The athletes, who will be in more than 160 boats, will pass by Paris’s most iconic monuments, bridges and cultural institutions, including Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
Along the length of the Seine, the emblematic river in the heart of the city, dozens of artistic performances are expected to take place, including BMX stunt riders leaping high over bridges. The ceremony will then conclude with a final show at the Place du Trocadéro, which faces the Eiffel Tower. Not only will the opening ceremony be bigger than ever before but, for the first time, most of it will be free to spectators.