It promises to be a grand event, rather ambitious in breaking conventions, because, for the first time in the history of the Olympics, the opening ceremony in Paris 2024 on July 26, will have the Seine River taking centrestage with athlete parades on boats, out of the confines of a stadium.
The ceremony, which will take a little over three hours, kickstarts at 7.30 pm in Paris (1.30 pm ET, 11 pm IST).
In India the Olympics will be telecast on Sports18 and livestreamed on JioCinema.
With spectators watching from the quays, 94 boats carrying national delegations will sail past the heart of the city where key games centres and arenas are located for athletes to test their skills and prowess against their competitors.
In another first, instead of your usual Olympic opening with athletes trooping in at the end of a ceremony to gather in the main arena before the Olympic flame is lit, Paris will opening with the athletes' parade. They will be introduced on stage and remain there through the ceremony.
The parade will come to the end of its six-kilometre route in front of the Trocadéro, which is famed for its gardens and ornamental ponds and fountains, on the opposite side of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
The remaining shows and events of the ceremony will take place here.
Again, in a departure from stadium tickets, the ceremonies, expected to be attended by Parisians and people from other parts of the country as well as international visitors, will be ticketless for most spectators parked along the river, except those wishing to access the lower quays.
The Minister for Sport had announced earlier that 300,000 and 400,000 seats will be free for those wishing to watch the ceremony from the top of the quays.
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