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Paul McNamara

Ira Gorawara

The Olympics opening ceremony is a defining moment of any Games.
It is an opportunity for the host nation to showcase its culture and history – and a chance for people around the world to feel included.
The event showcases representatives from all competing delegations.
But this year’s opening event will be a little different from those of previous Games because it will not take place in a stadium, as has generally been tradition.
So, as we close in on the start, here is everything you need to know.


When is the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony?
The event kicks off on Saturday, July 27, at 1.30am Hong Kong Time (Friday, July 26 at 7.30pm CEST).
Where is the opening ceremony taking place?
For the first time at the Games, rather than in a stadium, the event will be on water – the River Seine, to be exact.
About 80 boats will be taking the almost-7,000 athletes on a floating parade for about six kilometres (3.72 miles).
Boats used for the ceremony will vary in size from five to 90 metres in length. Around 20 per cent of boats will have no seating. Another 20 per cent of boats have no toilets – for what is likely to be a 3½-hour journey.
The ride will essentially be a guide through Paris’ main tourist attractions: starting at the Austerlitz bridge, they will sail past the Notre-Dame cathedral before arriving at the Eiffel Tower.
Once they arrive, athletes will have the choice of remaining on their boats to watch the rest of the festivities, which are expected to include an address from French president Emmanuel Macron, or immediately returning to the Olympic Village.
The Games will officially begin during the river parade, at 2.24am Hong Kong time.

Where in Hong Kong can I watch the opening ceremony?
Viewers can see it get under way on TVB from 12.50am or RTHK, where the programme starts at 1.30am.
In Singapore, viewers can follow the events via Mediacorp, while in Malaysia it will be shown on Unifi TV as well as RTM.
If you are watching from the United States, you will need NBC, USA and Peacock.
What Hong Kong athletes will be taking part?
It is unclear how many and which specific Hongkongers will be present.
However, chef de mission Brian Stevenson said they would be able to accommodate every athlete and their coaches if they wished.
Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey will be Hong Kong’s flagbearers and athletes will be sharing a boat with at least two other National Olympic Committees.
What else has been planned?
Organisers have promised a show like no other.
They said it would be daring and joyful, and would take advantage of the historic monuments, riverbanks, sky and water – “and there won’t be a single riverbank or bridge that will not be filled with music, dance, or performance.”

Some 80 giant screens along the way will broadcast the show, which will include a floating parade of athletes and artists and is also expected to feature dancers performing from the roof of buildings along the Seine.
The show will be “a large fresco” celebrating Paris, France and the Games, and will interweave the parade of athletes, artistic performances and elements of protocol, according to Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony.
Details including who will light the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games, or which artists are taking part, have been kept secret.
But Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are among singers who have been spotted in Paris, triggering rumours they could take part in the ceremony.
French media said Franco-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most listened to French female singer in the world, will sing a song by the late Charles Aznavour.
Nakamura was the target of racist abuse online when it was first rumoured that she would take part in the ceremony. She sings in French, with frequent use of slang, her style influenced by West Indies zouk music, mixing in American R’n’B and Afrobeats.
One big unknown is the weather. It is forecast to be cloudy, though organisers were hoping there would be a “golden hour” of sunset lighting up buildings midway through the ceremony.

Who will be there?
Around 80 heads of state and more than 300,000 spectators are expected to watch from the river banks, according to the organisers.
The Paris 2024 committee said some 222,000 people would get free invitations, while 104,000 will have to buy a ticket.
Have there been special security measures?
Some 2,000 private security staff and 45,000 police will be dispatched to ensure people’s safety. Snipers will be deployed on the top of buildings along the route. An anti-drone system will be in place.
Spectators and local residents need to carry permits on a QR code to get anywhere near the riverbanks. Cars won’t be allowed into the area, with few exceptions.
Nearby metro stations will be closed, as will many of the bridges. No planes will be allowed to fly over Paris – unless they are part of the ceremony.
Information from Reuters was used in this report


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Paris is ready to welcome the world as the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games gets under way. Photo: Kyodo

Swimmer Siobhan Haughey will be one of the two Hong Kong flagbearers at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. Photo: Xinhua

Aya Nakamura, the most listened to French female singer in the world, will sing a song by the late Charles Aznavour. Photo: AFP

About 45,000 police officers, and 2,000 private security staff, will be stationed along the route of the ceremony. Photo: AFP

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Tourists pose for photos with the Olympic rings in Paris ahead of the opening ceremony. Photo: Kyodo

China’s Huang Yuting (left) and Sheng Lihao attend a shooting training session in Chateauroux. Photo: Xinhua

A technician jumps in the water to inspect reproductions of artworks decorating the banks of the River Seine. Photo: AP

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Tse Ying-suet and Tang Chun-man at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they reached the quarter-finals. Photo: Dickson Lee

Paris Olympics: Siobhan Haughey’s costume could give her an edge, ‘swimsuit nerd’ says

Siobhan Haughey (centre) and other members of  the‍‍‍ swimming team wait at Hong Kong International Airport for their flight to Paris. Photo: Sam Tsang

Paris Olympics: Hong Kong delegation will get ‘any assistance’ it needs for Games

A volunteer fixes a sign in the Olympic Village in Paris. Photo: AP

Hong Kong rower Chiu Hin-chun leaves the water after a training session ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

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South Korea’s Lim Si-hyeon poses after the women’s individual preliminary round at the Esplanade des Invalides. Photo: AFP

Casey Kaufhold of the United States is expected to be among Lim’s toughest challengers for gold. Photo: AP

Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

Everything you need to know as the world’s focus turns to the French capital, where the best athletes on the planet prepare for action


Everything you need to know as the world’s focus turns to the French capital, where the best athletes on the planet prepare for action.
