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Paris Olympics chief insists river Seine will host opening ceremony

By AFP
January 12, 2024

PARIS: The chief organiser of the 2024 Paris Olympics insisted on Wednesday there were no plans to move the opening ceremony of the Games from the river Seine amid ongoing speculation about the hugely ambitious water-based show.

People along the banks of the River Seine that runs through the center of the French capital, in Paris on January 4, 2024. — AFP
People along the banks of the River Seine that runs through the center of the French capital, in Paris on January 4, 2024. — AFP

After months of denials that contingency plans were being put in place, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked new doubts last month when he said that there was “obviously a plan B, a plan C” for the opening ceremony on July 26.

But Tony Estanguet, who heads the Paris Olympics organising committee, stressed on Wednesday that the location for the ceremony would not change. “Today, with the artistic director for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, we are working on an opening ceremony on the Seine. Our teams are not working on any other location,” he told France Inter radio.

French security services have consistently raised doubts about having the opening team parade on the river in the heart of the City of Light, citing the difficulty of securing such a large area and the risk of a terror attack or stampede.