The extravagant opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will kick off on Friday night with an armada of boats carrying 10,500 athletes along the Seine river — the first outdoor version of the spectacle that is expected to be watched by a billion people.
However, a shadow was cast over the event by an act of criminal sabotage that hit France’s high-speed rail network in the early hours of the morning that caused nationwide transport chaos. Rain has also been forecast, a nightmare scenario for the planners of the theatrical performance that is to feature a massive cast of dancers, two orchestras and a clutch of pop stars.
“We are ready for this magnificent event,” said interior minister Gérald Darmanin, adding that no specific threats had been detected against the parade. The railway sabotage would “not have direct consequence on the Olympics or the ceremony”.
By mid-afternoon long queues had formed for ticket holders to get into the highly secured perimeter along the Seine river where 320,000 spectators are expected along the medieval-era cobblestone quays. The format of the event required heavy security: 45,000 police were deployed on the ground and in the air, using helicopters, drones and snipers positioned on roofs.
The weather will also test the dozens of experienced ship captains powering the parade, who have to navigate at precisely the right speed to keep the show on line.
President Emmanuel Macron will host more than 100 heads of state at Trocadero plaza across the river from the Eiffel tower where the athletes will disembark for a final parade and a performance expected by francophone favourite Céline Dion. Jill Biden, wife of the US president, and other leaders attended a reception at the Elysée palace before the ceremony.
The idea for such an ambitious opening was the brainchild of one man, Thierry Reboul, an event specialist known for punchy marketing stunts, but pulling it off it will need more than 15,000 performers, technicians and firework specialists.
Starting at 7.30pm, the three-hour performance is set to feature ballet dancers on the roof of the Louvre, while hundreds of modern dancers and breakdancers were to perform along the quays and on some of the boats. Organisers may have to scale back some elements because of the expected rain. Performers will be clad in handmade outfits stitched by French couturiers, including LVMH’s Louis Vuitton and Dior.
When Reboul pitched the idea to Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris organising committee, the two-time gold medal winner reacted with stupor that quickly became enthusiasm. “It will be ambitious, audacious and totally crazy,” said Estanguet, recalling the moment.
Reboul said the idea came to him on a walk along the Seine, the snaking river whose banks were chosen by a Gallic tribe called the Parisii to found a settlement about two thousands years ago. He told himself: “It should be here, of course it should be here, and nowhere else.”
The organisers hired Thomas Jolly, a 42-year-old theatre director known for a musical called Starmania, who started imagining how to convey the spirit of France from literature and culture to history. “I’m used to designing performances on a stage, and this time the entire city was my canvas,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Jolly hired a team he has long worked with — a musical director, choreographer and a costume designer, all renowned in their fields — and also included author Leila Slimani, scriptwriter Fanny Herrero, who created the show Call My Agent!, and others to help him write the 12 tableaux that make up the ceremony.
Before they started writing, they took long walks along the Seine for inspiration and researched the history of its bridges, such as the oldest, Pont Neuf, finished under King Henry IV in 1607, and the Pont d’Austerlitz, commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, from which the parade will begin.
“We drew on the past of each site and monuments: almost each stone tells something about our history of France, of the history of Paris, a history which is connected to the world,” he said.
But Jolly and Estanguet did not want the theatrics to overshadow the athletes, instead putting them at the centre of it by giving them the best spots to view the show — the decks of the boats on the river.
“The athletes are the heroes of the show,” said Estanguet.
Although officials have remained vague about the price, French media have reported that the ceremony will cost about €120mn, roughly four times the cost of the opener of the London 2012 Games. The overall cost for the Paris Games, which was pitched as a greener edition because little new infrastructure was built, is expected to reach €9-10bn, according to the national auditor. About one-third of that will be paid for by sponsors.
Scott Ross, who is visiting with his family from Florida, said he was excited for the games and not at all put out off by the rain and security news. “We were told to expect the rain in Paris so we came prepared. We’re so excited to be here, this is our first Olympics and a once in a lifetime experience.”
Additional reporting by Adrienne Klasa