As a summer of sport hits Paris, we take a look at what else to keep your eye on during the Olympic Games
The opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will take place on Friday, July 26 and promises to be unlike any Olympic opening seen before.
Instead of inside a stadium, as is the norm, the opening extravaganza will take place in a parade of boats along the six kilometre stretch of the river Seine. It will set off from the Austerlitz bridge, next to the Jardin des Plantes, at 19:30 CET and culminate at the Trocedéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower.
Each country’s athletes will travel along the route on their own boat.
It will be the largest opening ceremony in Olympics history, according to organisers.
Read more: What is now known about Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday
Some 80 big screens and speakers will be placed around the route, allowing people to experience the ceremony from around the capital.
But the ceremony has not been without issues. The number of spectators was reduced from the over 600,000 originally planned to 300,000 because of security issues and President Macron said there was a plan B if there are any security issues ahead of Friday.
Read more: Paris Olympics: Plan B for opening outlined in case of major threat
The greenest Games
Organisers have made much of the fact that they are aiming for Paris 2024 to be the “greenest” Olympic Games ever, with half the carbon emissions of Rio 2016 and London 2012.
Athletes have already been testing out the cardboard beds – which will be recycled after the Olympics.
Paris has “recycled” most of its event locations – 95% of competition venues are pre-existing or temporary rather than newly constructed for the Games.
The Olympic Village, in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, will be transformed into a new residential and business district after the Games.
Read more: Comment: The Paris Olympics are bad for planet and we must scale down
The mascot
The mascot for Paris 2024 is a pair of humble hats, the Olympic Phryges to be precise, named after the traditional Phrygian cap, something that has represented freedom throughout French history and is a famous symbol of the French republic.
They are blue, white and red, after the French tricolour flag and have received mixed reviews from Olympics fans, with assessments ranging from cute to bizarre.
The design was chosen “as a symbol of freedom and to represent allegorical figures of the French republic” according to organisers.
The mascots will represent how revolution can happen through sport and go hand-in-hand with the Olympics’ motto – alone we go faster, but together we go further.
They have been dubbed everything from cute to bizarre.
Read more: Drones, divers, dogs: the massive job of making Paris Olympics secure
Read more: Olympic mascot contract revives France’s forgotten toymaking industry
The outfits
One of the most fun aspects of the opening ceremony is watching out for each nation’s outfits, some of which show off their national dress to spectacular effect.
Italian athletes will, of course, be decked out by Armani, while British athletes will sport Ben Sherman-designed outfits and the US contingent will be dressed in preppy Ralph Lauren.
But it was the Mongolian national team’s outfits that went viral this week for their intricate nod to traditional dress. Designed by Mongolian couture house (and sisters) Michel & Amazonka, the outfits feature ornate embroidery, and each one takes 20 hours to construct.
Hosts France will wear luxury brand Berluti, which has made a design conceived by the former editor of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld. Its lapels feature the red, white and blue of the French flag.
And Irish athletes will be decked out in outfits made by LW Pearl, the brand of Irish designer Laura Weber. Outfits will blend the traditional and modern to mark the 100-year anniversary of Ireland taking part in the Olympics.
The controversies
One of the most enduring controversies of the run-up to the Games has been whether the events scheduled to take part in the river Seine would be able to go ahead.
High pollution levels in the river have led to cancelled test events.
But Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was so confident in the water quality of her city’s main river that she took a plunge herself on July 17 to prove the quality was good enough for the Olympic athletes.
Read more: Photo: Paris mayor keeps her pledge and goes for a swim in Seine
The river Seine will host the men’s triathlon on July 30, the women’s triathlon on July 31 and the mixed triathlon on August 5. The open-water swimming events will take place on August 8 and 9.
Event geography
France is hosting events all around the country and as far away as French Polynesia. The surfing competition, making only its second Olympic appearance since it was added in Tokyo, will take place in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
Organisers say holding the competition on the island’s world-famous wave is part of its mission to hold events across France. It will mark the first time a French overseas territory has been included in the events of a French Olympics.
