The opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics promises to be an event like no other.
In a first for the Games, the spectacle will not be in a stadium, instead taking place on Paris’ famous River Seine.
The eye-catching ceremony will run across a 6km route along the Seine. It will begin at Austerlitz Bridge and end among the gardens, fountains and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
There will be almost 100 boats carrying more than 10,000 athletes and a host of dignitaries sailing past Paris’ iconic landmarks, including Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the athletes in the parade and the artistic part of the ceremony — showcasing the history and culture of Paris and France.
The identity of the performers, though, has been kept a tight secret.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and the streets with millions more watching on television around the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director named as the ceremony’s artistic director — the role performed by Danny Boyle at London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also include the official opening of the Games, carried out by French President Emmanuel Macron, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Again, many of the finer details have been kept as a surprise.
The ceremony begins at 19:30 local time (8:30 EAT) on Friday.
It is expected to last just under four hours, with the final stages taking place as the sun sets across the French capital. Thankfully, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is good.
In which order will the nations be introduced?
Keeping with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of their flagbearers for the Games.
The Refugee Olympic Team will follow while hosts France will be introduced last.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus — competing as individuals because of their countries’ role in the war in Ukraine — will not take part.
