Paris has promised an Olympics opening ceremony so grand that nothing like it has ever been seen before – but travel chaos, ‘malicious’ acts of vandalism and forecast showers are threatening to rain on the parade.
Emmanuel Macron‘s ‘audacious’ plans will see the River Seine used as the stage for a four-mile long procession, with athletes travelling on boats in front of more than 300,000 spectators.
The show is set to kick off at 7.30pm (6.30pm BST) – at the same time as forecasters are predicting a high chance of downpours in the French capital, with officials praying that it won’t turn the open-air party into a washout.
With the ceremony the first in history to be held outside a stadium, ensuring sports stars, dignitaries and the public are safe is going to be an unprecedented security challenge, with French officials labelling it the ‘biggest ever peacetime operation’.
Police are on high alert amid threats of a terror attack and after vandals targeted railway infrastructure overnight in a series of coordinated arson attacks, with organisers fearing that further acts of sabotage could yet target the Games.
A general view during the Beach Volleyball training session at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris
Passengers queue at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station in central London. French rail officials say several lines have been hit by ‘malicious acts’ which have heavily disrupted services ahead of the Olympics
Soldiers patrol on the Seine river, Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in Paris
Members of police forces patrol on a boat along the Seine river next to a pannel depicting a pictorial detail ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on July 23
With just hours to go before the opening ceremony, fires were started at key rail network installations early this morning, bringing trains to a halt.
The ‘coordinated’ attacks caused paralysis at major stations as multiple services were cancelled, including ones meant to be bringing sports fans into the French capital.
UK travellers headed to the Games have been seen queueing at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras station in central London due to the disruption, which is threatening to impact tonight’s show.
The procession of athletes is to be the first boat parade on the Seine since the wedding party of Louis XV’s daughter three centuries ago, with pictures of the preparations showing how it will make nods to French culture and history.
Hundreds of thousands of people are paying to stand on bridges and line the river – but it is unclear how the spectacle will be protected from possible bad weather.
The Met Office predicts a high chance of rain in the French capital tonight, rising from a 50 per cent chance as the ceremony gets underway to almost a 100 per cent certainty of showers by 11pm.
At the same time, crowd control is going to be a major concern, with people rushing to get to the city centre before it is locked down.
The ring of steel operation will see security measures distributed across the entire city, instead of just at centralised venues like the London 2012 Olympics.
Light shows of the Eiffel Tower are performed during the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony rehearsals
Some 45,000 police officers and gendarmes are being mobilised, including cops from Britain and other foreign forces, plus 10,000 soldiers.
Security forces spread out along the four miles of the ceremony with high-precision shooters on the roofs and in helicopter circling above.
For the first time, France’s three elite units – the RAID, the GIGN and the BRI – will work side by side, with a joint force of 650.
The Air Force is also mobilized to secure the skies and combat potential drones being flown over the ceremony.
Metal barriers have been set up along the Seine and around the streets and boulevards, with spectators having their bags inspected and requiring special QR codes as they are filtered through gates.
The UK Foreign Office has warned tourists: ‘Until Friday 26 July, you will need a digital pass to travel to some areas of Paris because of preparations for the Olympic opening ceremony.
‘Different rules will apply depending on whether you are travelling on foot, by bike, or by car or another vehicle.’
‘It is the biggest security challenge any country has ever had to organize in a time of peace,’ Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told reporters on Tuesday.
A no-fly zone the size of Belgium is set to be imposed across northern France during the ceremony, amid fears of a terror attack.
All three Paris airports will be closed from early evening until around midnight, causing severe travel disruption on what is usually one of the busiest travel days of the summer.
The French Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement: ‘A temporary prohibited area is created to ensure the implementation of the special air security arrangements as part of the protection of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.’
Olympic organisers have long feared acts of sabotage targeting the multi-billion pound games, and a vast security operation costing £350million has unfolded in Paris to try and counter threats.
Police officers walk down stairs near Sacre-Coeur basilica prior to opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The largest peacetime deployment of forces in France’s history involves some 75,000 soldiers, police and private security agents.
‘We’re focused and we’re ready,’ said General Lionel Catar, one of the military planners before the showpiece opening.
The priority is to protect some 80,000 competitors as they progress down the River Seine in dozens of barges, in front of some 350,000 spectators, and a TV audience of more than a billion.
Gérald Darmanin, France’s Interior Ministry, said ‘the terrorist threat remains high’ and that ‘a high level of vigilance’ remains essential.
Police on the River Seine in Paris, as preparations take place for the Opening Ceremony
France, which has a history of terror attacks, is on its highest state of alert ahead of the Games, including at tonight’s opening ceremony.
In May, police arrested an 18-year-old suspected of planning a jihadist attack on the Saint-Etienne stadium, hosting Olympic football.
Last week, a neo-Nazi was arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack during the passage of the Olympic flame.
As part of their huge crack down on crime ahead of the Games, French authorities transferred hundreds of squatters away from the centre and jailed hundreds of people in an effort to clear the streets.
