PARIS, France, Jul 26 – ‘Games wide open’ is the motto for this year’s Paris Olympics, which officially begin on Friday with the opening ceremony.
It is the first time in 100 years that the French capital has hosted the summer Games, with the majority of the events taking place in or around the city’s most iconic areas.
Friday’s opening ceremony will see boats carry athletes and dignitaries down 6km of the River Seine, with room for 300,000 spectators.
Few details are known about the event – though there has been speculation about Celine Dion and Lady Gaga performing – with the ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly saying he wants to “show France in all its diversity”.
The Paris Games is the first to achieve gender parity among athletes, with 5,250 male and 5,250 female athletes set to compete.
With millions expected to attend the Games, Paris is making the final touches for a Games it hopes will be like no other.
Paris ‘ready’ after water concerns and security worries
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week, external that the country was “ready and we will be ready throughout the Games”.
However, some Parisians have used social media to warn people, external about issues such as overcrowding, price inflation and difficulties in getting around the city.
There is a huge security operation in place, with up to 5,000 police, soldiers and hired guards on patrol at any one time. The Seine – the river than runs through the centre of Paris – has been fenced off for the opening ceremony, leaving residents needing QR codes to access certain areas.
That has affected local businesses along the Seine, leading to some criticism,, external but French authorities say the barricades will be removed after Friday’s event.
The cost of this year’s Games is expected to be about 9bn euros (£7.6bn), with the organising committee promising to make it the greenest Olympics in history.
Fan park at Hotel de Ville in Paris
Only two arenas are new and purpose-built – an aquatics centre and an arena for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.
Other iconic venues such as the Stade de France – the national stadium – and French Open tennis venue Roland Garros will host events, alongside historic sites such as the Grand Palais and the Place de la Concorde.
One of the big concerns in the build-up was the water quality of the Seine, which will host the swimming leg of the triathlon and open-water events.
Swimming in the river was banned for a century because of the water quality, with tests in June still showing levels of E.coli above the upper limits imposed by sports federations.
However, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the river on 17 July to try to prove it was safe.
The water will be tested regularly in different areas before the events.
How is Paris preparing for Olympics and Paralympics?
There is only one new event at this year’s Games – breaking, a style of dance that originated in the Bronx in New York.
Some events have had tweaks, including men being eligible to compete in artistic synchronised swimming for the first time in Olympic history, although none have been selected for Paris.
The Games will also be the final Olympics for some of Britain’s finest.
Two-time tennis gold medallist Andy Murray will end his career in Paris, as will Britain’s most successful gymnast, Max Whitlock.
Adam Peaty, three-time Olympic gold medallist in the pool, returns to the Games after taking a mental health break from the sport.
On the track, Katarina Johnson-Thompson will look to avenge her heartbreak from Tokyo 2021, when a calf injury in the 200m led to her pulling out of the heptathlon.
But dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin will not be there, withdrawing after footage emerged of her “excessively” whipping a horse.
Elsewhere, Simone Biles, the world’s most decorated gymnast, returns after her struggles in Tokyo, while Stephen Curry features in the basketball.
Their American compatriots Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles will look to shine on the track, while Jamaica’s iconic Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce seeks to sign off her career with yet another medal.
