Heba Press / Agencies
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games began on Friday at 7:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. GMT) with a video clip by comedian Jamal Debbouze and former footballer Zinedine Zidane at the Stade de France, before the unprecedented event. parade on the Seine with the participation of… 6,800 athletes in front of the historic monuments of the French capital
The first boat to cross the Seine included a delegation from Greece, considered the birthplace of the modern games, before being followed by boats from other delegations at the start of a celebration attended by famous American singer Lady Gaga.
For the first time in history, the opening ceremony will take place outside the main stadium, with 320,000 spectators watching from specially built stands on the riverbank, and around 200,000 from the balconies of neighbouring buildings.
Athletes from 205 countries were on board 85 ferries and boats in a spectacle that lasted three hours and 45 minutes, under tight security measures just hours after the high-speed rail network was subjected to acts of “sabotage”.
The offer has raised several questions and fluctuations, since the idea of leaving the “safe” site of the stadium in favor of planting terraces on the banks of the river was born.
The proposed basic number gradually decreased to 320,000 spectators, including 220,000 free on the river banks and 100,000 with paid tickets near the river.
Hours before the opening ceremony, the high-speed rail network was subjected to a massive and widespread attack aimed at paralysing its network, causing serious disruption affecting 800,000 passengers, and 25% of Eurostar train journeys between London and Paris were also cancelled. The rail operator said in a statement: “The situation will be similar” on Saturday and Sunday.
Officials at French rail company SNCF said three arson attacks targeted cable boxes at strategic intersections around its network in locations north, southwest and east of Paris.
Railway workers foiled a fourth sabotage operation in the south-east of the capital after spotting intruders in the early hours of Friday morning.
“Our intelligence and law enforcement services have mobilized to find and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” wrote Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on the “X” platform.
French authorities declined to comment on the identity of the perpetrators, who appear to have extensive knowledge of the network.
