With 140 days until the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this was one of the last details missing. The time of the opening ceremony, which will take place on the Seine on Friday July 26, was officially revealed this Friday March 8 by Tony Estanguet, the president of Cojo.
The approximately 222,000 spectators invited to attend this ceremony on the high quays will therefore meet at 7:30 p.m. for the start of the ceremony. Since last Tuesday, we have known the number of free places put in place by the Ministry of the Interior, to which are added the 104,000 paid places, on the lower part of the platforms. The ceremony is expected to last approximately three hours.
“This time was set to allow maximum use of natural outdoor light and still allow the ceremony to end at night, in order to take advantage of the different atmospheres in the heart of the city of Paris,” explained Tony Estanguet.
The boss of Cojo also recalled that the flame of the Games would arrive in France in two months exactly, on May 8 in Marseille, after having been lit in Olympia on April 16.
For this ceremony, the security system is up to the occasion: 45,000 law enforcement officers will be deployed in Île-de-France alone on the day of the nautical parade. The Raid will be present on the roofs to ensure that the 326,000 spectators in total and especially the 10,500 athletes, who will parade on the Seine, are safe. The GIGN and the BRI will also be there.
