Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Paris Olympics to make historical past with spectacular opening ceremony on the Seine

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The plans for the opening ceremony on the Paris Olympics are a intently guarded secret. Will probably be the primary time a Summer time Video games will begin exterior a stadium.

As a substitute of the same old stadium parade, the occasion will happen within the coronary heart of Paris, becoming the motto “Video games Large Open.” About 6,000-7,000 athletes will sail down a six-kilometer (four-mile) stretch of the Seine River, from the Austerlitz bridge to the Eiffel Tower, on 85 barges and boats.

As much as 500,000 folks will watch from particular stands, free spots on the riverbanks, and close by balconies and residences. Tickets for the stands have bought for as much as 2,700 euros ($2,900).

“Organizing a ceremony on the Seine is just not simpler than doing it in a stadium… however it has extra punch,” stated chief organiser Tony Estanguet. The parade has by no means been absolutely rehearsed as a result of its measurement and complexity.

The present is designed by theatre director Thomas Jolly, recognized for the rock-opera musical “Starmania.” His workforce consists of the author of the French TV collection Name My Agent, Fanny Herrero, writer Leila Slimani, and historian Patrick Boucheron.

The ceremony may have 12 sections, with round 3,000 dancers, singers, and entertainers on the riverbanks, bridges, and monuments. A tribute to Notre-Dame cathedral is deliberate, probably with dancers on its scaffolding.

Beginning at 07:30 pm (1730 GMT), two-thirds of the ceremony will probably be in daylight. It’ll finish with a lightweight present. The music will probably be a mixture of classical, conventional ‘chanson francaise,’ rap, and electro.

Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura is without doubt one of the star performers, regardless of criticism from far-right politicians like Marine Le Pen. Rumors recommend Girl Gaga and Celine Dion may seem. Daft Punk declined to play, and David Guetta was ignored.

Requested about his message, Jolly stated it was “love.” He stated his work would rejoice cultural, linguistic, spiritual, and sexual variety.

“I feel the individuals who need to reside collectively on this variety, this otherness, are far more quite a few, however we make much less noise,” he informed AFP.

Don’t count on a tribute to French clichés or a nationalistic show just like the Beijing 2008 Video games. Historian Patrick Boucheron stated, “The opening ceremony in Beijing in 2008 was precisely what we didn’t need to do.”

One main second will probably be Nakamura’s efficiency, particularly after controversy about her position. Jolly hinted {that a} submersible may emerge from the Seine. The ultimate torchbearer, who will gentle the Olympic cauldron in entrance of the Louvre, stays unknown. Triple gold medalist Marie-Jose Perec is a high contender.

The most important concern for French police is guaranteeing everybody’s security over such a big city space.


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