On July 26, 2024, all eyes will be on Paris for a ceremony that promises to be at once magical, avant-garde and popular. We reveal the details of this show which will take place on a magnified Seine.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the opening ceremony leaves the stadium. On July 26, 2024, nearly 10,500 athletes from 206 delegations will walk in a parade on the Seine in front of several hundred thousand people. This show will reveal to the world the most beautiful of France, and of course the capital, with its heritage, its history, its creativity, its daring.
The Seine, the magical setting for an extraordinary ceremony
The date of July 26, 2024 should be remembered. For the first time, an opening ceremony for the Games is taking place outside a stadium. For the first time, a river becomes the main setting.
“This ambitious project, the fruit of intense collective work, will delight Parisians, Ile-de-France residents and tourists alike, underlines the City of Paris. The opening ceremony will draw the spotlight from around the world to our city to promote the values of the Olympism. “
One « spectacle total », continues Tony Estanguet, president of the organizing committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “On bridges, on monuments, in the water, artistic performances are everywhere displayed, joining and prolonging the sporting gesture. “
A 6 km course on the water, from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Trocadéro
During the 3:15 show, nearly 10,500 athletes will stroll on the Seine aboard nearly 160 boats in a 6-kilometer course, from the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Trocadéro. Notre-Dame de Paris, the Louvre, the Pont Neuf, the Pont des Arts and the Eiffel Tower will make up the iconic decor of this show.
The athletes will inaugurate the ceremony and light it up from start to finish during their stroll. As they cross the center of Paris, from east to west, they will have a breathtaking view of the capital, and a glimpse of the exceptional playground that will host their performances.
Animations, installations, artistic performances celebrating sport and the city will take place in the heart of this river setting. The last act, at the Trocadéro and in the Eiffel Tower area, will be devoted to the final protocol and artistic sequences.
The opening ceremony in figures
– Hundreds of millions of viewers and hundreds of thousands of viewers
– 10,500 athletes
– 160 boats
– 206 delegations
– 120 heads of state, sovereigns and / or heads of government
A generous and popular celebration
Paris 2024 is pushing back the stadiums to bring sport to the heart of the city, closer to the people, in order to share the magic of the Games with as many people as possible. The ceremony will be free and accessible to several hundred thousand people.
Teddy Riner, Olympic judo champion, does not hide his impatience: “ Experiencing an opening ceremony of the Olympic Games wearing the colors of France is always an intense emotion. But living it here, in France, and what is more, in the heart of Paris, in direct communion with spectators from all over France and around the world, it will inevitably be an unforgettable experience. This opening ceremony will break the codes. We can’t wait to be there! “
With a breathtaking view of the Seine, a sound system and giant screens installed all along the route, spectators will be able to follow the entire show and enjoy the unique atmosphere that will set every corner of the city ablaze.
A ceremony in the continuity of the Paris 2024 project
These strong choices are part of the continuity of the Paris 2024 project. July 26, 2024 thus resumes the great markers of the Games: always offering more emotions, openness and sharing, with:
competitions in the heart of the city. The sporting events will take place in the iconic sites of Paris and its region: beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, taekwondo and fencing at the Grand Palais, horse riding at the Palace of Versailles, archery on the Esplanade des Invalides …
- Sports events open to the public. Paris 2024 will organize the marathon for all, the first event open to public participation during the Olympic Games.
New sports to open up to new audiences. Breaking, at the frontier of sporting and artistic performance, will enrich the Olympic program for the first time in the history of the Games.
