Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Countdown begins ahead of spectacle

The French capital is counting down the hours to its big moment, which begins at 19:30 this Friday, 100 years after the last Olympic Games were held in Paris. The aim is to showcase its splendour to the world and ensure the Games go down in history, while also focusing on safety and leaving a legacy for future generations.

France is dressing up for the world's biggest sporting event. For the first time in 100 years, the French capital is hosting the Summer Games, with most of the events taking place around the city's most iconic areas, the 'City of Light'.

Despite recent rain and a weather forecast predicting showers during the Opening Ceremony, Paris is buzzing with excitement, with the sirens of security forces the most audible sound to the few passers-by in the central streets.

Although few details of the opening ceremony are known, its artistic director, Thomas Jolly, has said he wants to "show France in all its diversity".

Athletes from around the world, along with officials and coaches, will parade outside an enclosed venue for the first time, posing significant security and logistical challenges but also allowing for unprecedented applause from at least 300,000 people along the 6km route along the Seine and many more on nearby Parisian balconies.

Members of the Gendarmerie are seen at Place de la Concorde ahead of the Paris 2024. GETTY IMAGES

Around 7,500 participants in 85 boats are expected to take to France's most famous river. The final number won't be known until the last minute, because while Friday's competitors won't be competing, many of those starting on Saturday will be debating up until the last moment whether to take part or opt for the necessary rest to ensure optimum performance.

Details of the event remain scarce. Not only is everything barricaded, but the entire area around the Seine is sealed off, preventing any visual access to the river's interior, except for a few gaps used by the few tourists to take photographs.

There has been speculation about possible performances by Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, but nothing has been confirmed by the organisers of the first Olympic Games in history to guarantee gender equality among the 10,500 participants, 5,250 men and 5,250 women.

Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, the most listened to French-speaking singer in the world, is confirmed. Her nearly 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify could not be ignored.

French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that the country was "ready and we will be ready throughout the Games".

However, some Parisians have taken to social media to warn of problems such as overcrowding, price rises and difficulties getting around the city, which are visible to any visitor despite the government's efforts to "beautify" the city.

On Friday, just hours before the opening ceremony began, a series of fires severely affected the French rail network, including the Eurostar.

The security measures in place across Paris are worthy of Hollywood films and unimaginable. Sirens, barricades, special forces and even international assistance to contain terrorist threats and ensure the safety of athletes and international officials, including heads of state, who will attend the opening ceremony.

Police snipers will be positioned at every high point along the route. Attacks in Moscow, Germany and terrorist threats in France create a cocktail that demands attention. Less than two weeks ago, an attempt was made on the life of former US president and presidential candidate Donald Trump, putting the authorities on high alert.

Israel and the Palestinian team will receive extra security due to tensions over the Israeli offensive in Gaza, feared to be a potential motive for a terrorist attack. In Place de la République, pro-Palestinian demonstrators called for an end to what they see as a war against them.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the Place de la République in Paris on Thursday afternoon. RDP / INSIDETHEGAMES

The strict QR security code required by the French prefecture is necessary, but strict. Only residents, hotel guests or workers can pass through. Complaints have been heard from workers who are not allowed through without them, but the police do not let anyone through the high-security zones for any reason.

Shops around the 6-kilometre event route are conspicuously empty in the world's most popular tourist city. In response to traders' complaints, the French authorities have promised to return the area to normal from Saturday.

The cost of this year's Games is expected to be around 9 billion euros, with the organising committee promising to make them the greenest Olympics in history.

On the sporting front, the Games kicked off with a world record in archery from South Korea's Sihyeon Lim, who scored 694 points, beating her compatriot Cheayoung Kang's previous record by two points.

Antoine Dupont passes the ball clear of the scrum during the Men's Rugby Sevens Quarter-Final at Stade de France on 25 July. GETTY IMAGES

French rugby thrilled the 80,000 fans at the Stade de France with a home win over Argentina to book Antoine Dupont's side a place in the semi-finals.

The big names will be there, from Andy Murray, Djokovic and Nadal in tennis to LeBron James in basketball and Britain's most successful gymnast, Max Whitlock. Others return, such as three-time gold medallist Adam Peaty, who had stopped competing due to mental health issues. Similarly, Simone Biles returns to gymnastics after her struggles in Tokyo, which sent shockwaves through the sporting world.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson will be looking to avenge the heartbreak of Tokyo 2021, when a calf injury in the 200m forced her to withdraw from the heptathlon, while Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles will be looking to shine on the track and Jamaican icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be looking to end her career with another medal.

Russia and Belarus are absent due to the IOC's suspension over the war in Ukraine, although a handful of athletes have agreed to take part as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN). Apart from 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians, most were not allowed to take part for reasons other than their behaviour, a significant loss felt in the sporting world despite attempts to minimise it.

IOC president Thomas Bach and French handball player Cleopatre Darleux during the torch relay on 26 July 2024 in Paris. GETTY IMAGES

The moment of truth has arrived. France will be aiming for a record medal haul on home soil, while China will be looking to dethrone the United States as gold medal leaders. The great and the good will bid farewell in style at this global event, and the public will enjoy seeing the world's best athletes in one place, under one flag, for just overtwo weeks of competition.