PARIS: The metro ride from Belleville to the Main Press Centre in Porte de Maillot on Thursday morning was uneventful. The media accreditation cards for Paris 2024 around our necks brooked no queries. Some curious looks and that was all. There was no rush of passengers. It was like any other day.
A day after arrival, one expected some palpable excitement ahead of the much-awaited gala opening ceremony on the River Siene.That has been curiously missing so far. For an outsider, it is difficult to gauge the mood of the city.
Many Parisians have moved out of the city. Those who have stayed back are unhappy with the stifling security. Many with businesses in and around the Siene – who failed to apply for passes in time – are furious because of the barricading done a week ago. Those who want to come into Paris without passes will simply have to stay out.
There are very few billboards or hoardings celebrating this festival of sport. Austerity measures? We don’t know. But it all promises to be different on Friday when the extravaganza on the Siene – initially described as “a crazy and not very serious idea” by French President Emmanuel Macron – kicks off the competition.
The Olympic Games have come to the city after 100 years. When Paris hosted its second Olympics in 1924, the first being in 1900, around 3000 athletes from 44 countries took part. This time, there are close to 11,000 athletes. The organisers have kept the budget for the Games well in control, unlike Rio and Tokyo.
Instead of creating venues, they have upgraded old ones or created temporary structure, mostly at iconic landmarks. A temporary beach volleyball venue has been set up next to the Eiffel Tower.
On Friday evening, athletes will not march into a stadium at the Olympics for the first time. They will arrive on boats and barges. The parade will take place along the Seine, with Thomas Jolly – a French theatre director and actor – overseeing proceedings as the artistic director. Jolly has remained tight-lipped about certain aspects, but reports say the parade will travel west for six kilometres along the river, passing iconic landmarks including the Notre-Dame and the Louvre.
A day after arrival, one expected some palpable excitement ahead of the much-awaited gala opening ceremony on the River Siene.That has been curiously missing so far. For an outsider, it is difficult to gauge the mood of the city.
Many Parisians have moved out of the city. Those who have stayed back are unhappy with the stifling security. Many with businesses in and around the Siene – who failed to apply for passes in time – are furious because of the barricading done a week ago. Those who want to come into Paris without passes will simply have to stay out.
There are very few billboards or hoardings celebrating this festival of sport. Austerity measures? We don’t know. But it all promises to be different on Friday when the extravaganza on the Siene – initially described as “a crazy and not very serious idea” by French President Emmanuel Macron – kicks off the competition.
The Olympic Games have come to the city after 100 years. When Paris hosted its second Olympics in 1924, the first being in 1900, around 3000 athletes from 44 countries took part. This time, there are close to 11,000 athletes. The organisers have kept the budget for the Games well in control, unlike Rio and Tokyo.
Instead of creating venues, they have upgraded old ones or created temporary structure, mostly at iconic landmarks. A temporary beach volleyball venue has been set up next to the Eiffel Tower.
On Friday evening, athletes will not march into a stadium at the Olympics for the first time. They will arrive on boats and barges. The parade will take place along the Seine, with Thomas Jolly – a French theatre director and actor – overseeing proceedings as the artistic director. Jolly has remained tight-lipped about certain aspects, but reports say the parade will travel west for six kilometres along the river, passing iconic landmarks including the Notre-Dame and the Louvre.
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