The French they want to hope for a great day tomorrow and banish any fear of unpleasant surprises. They want to believe that tomorrow’s opening ceremony on the Seine will be bold, original and grandiose, capable of marking the history of Olympic Games. Many details still remain secret, apart from some numbers: around 8 km is the route on the river Seine, around 100 boats and over 7,000 athletes.

For the first time the ceremony takes place outside the Stadium. They dared to break the codes of sports competition by bringing sports to the city. For the ceremony, Paris becomes the living backdrop of an extraordinary moment, with monuments, bridges, cultural institutions along the route.

Yes, the French want the opening ceremony to be remembered as the biggest sports festival in the heart of Paris. That is why the security measures are draconian, the former Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanen, despite being “under resignation”, remains at the helm. A total of 58,000 people from the various security forces and the army. On the river, on the ground and from the air, which is also put on high alert from 18:30 local time, with a temporary no-go zone of 150 km around Paris and the consequent disruption of traffic from Paris airports.

Traffic regulations and controls

Both Parisians and tourists who arrived in the capital without sufficient information have already been facing traffic problems for two days: In the metro, many central stations will remain closed until the end of the Paralympic Games, i.e. the end of August. Registration is required for a special “pass” to enter the stages of the games, and for tomorrow, for the entire area around the central docks of the Seine. Often the checks around the box office risk being time-consuming, which is why Gerald Darmanen today called on spectators to “arrive well before the start of any show or match, because of the checks”.

Finally, French President Emmanuel Macron is asking for political developments to be put on “ice”, for the sake of the Olympic Games, to which he seems to focus exclusively. “Now we’re celebrating,” he says characteristically.