The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will take place on Friday evening. For the first time in its 130-year history, the ceremony will not take place in a stadium but instead travel along the River Seine, showcasing the thousands of athletes.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Q. What time will the opening ceremony begin?
The ceremony will begin at 6.30pm Irish time on Friday and is due to last for more than three hours.
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Q. Can I watch it on television?
You can, the ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ2 with coverage beginning from 6pm, with streaming available on the RTÉ player. You can also catch the ceremony on BBC1, with their coverage starting from 5.45pm.
Q. Who are Team Ireland’s flag bearers?
Team Ireland’s two flag bearers will be Sarah Lavin and Shane Lowry.
Q. How many athletes does Ireland have competing at the Games?
There are 133 Irish athletes competing across 14 sports at this year’s competition.
Q. What stadium will the opening ceremony be held in?
For the first time , the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium but in the heart of a city, with the world’s Olympics teams set to parade along the River Seine in boats, watched by about 300,000 spectators from the banks and quays.
Q. What is the route of this water parade?
The river parade will follow the course of the Seine, from east to west over six kilometres. The parade will depart from the Austerlitz bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and make its way around the two islands at the centre of the city – the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité – before passing under several bridges and gateways.
Athletes on board the parade boats will get glimpses of the city’s most famous landmarks and some of the official Games venues, including Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and lastly the Iéna bridge where the parade will come to a stop before the ceremony’s finale at the Trocadéro.
Q. How many athletes will travel along the river?
More than 10,000 athletes will travel among 100 boats while organisers have promised there will be cameras on board to catch them up close.
The spotlight will also be shone on athletes chosen as flag bearers for their country.
Q. Do we know who will be performing at the opening ceremony?
Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director, has organised 3,000 performers, including musicians and 400 dancers on bridges, for the ceremony but remained tight-lipped about who the famous names are.
There has been speculation around Céline Dion and Lady Gaga, both of whom have been spotted in the French capital over recent days.
Q. What’s this I read about gardaí being deployed to the Games?
That’s right, some 42 gardaí have been tasked with helping out the French police over the coming weeks in what is an unprecedented security operation.
Garda Inspector Neil Casley, who works in the international liaison section co-ordinating the effort, said gardaí would be on patrols in Paris and helping out in busy spots such as metro stations.
The idea, which worked well during other events such as the Rugby World Cup in France last year, is in part to provide assistance to English speaking nationals attending the Olympic Games. Gardaí would be a “friendly face” on hand to provide help to Irish fans or tourists, as well as others who speak English, Insp Casley said.
Q. When can I catch a glimpse of Irish athletes competing next?
A number of Team Ireland’s athletes will be competing on Saturday including our rowers, men’s hockey team, gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and boxer Dean Clancy. A full guide of day to day action can be found here.
