Summer on the Seine: Boat parade welcomes athletes to Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony is causing somewhat of a “Seine” in the news. OK, that was an admittedly ridiculous pun, but the crux of the statement remains true. Airing live from Paris, France, Friday, July 26, on NBC and Peacock, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are the first iteration of the long-running athletic tradition to host its opening ceremony (and many events) outside of a stadium.
The reason for this decision is not for a lack of stadiums — Paris has several sporting venues, which, like Stade de France, could accommodate large-scale crowds. The organizers preferred to have the ceremony, rather romantically, lit by sunset.
Due to kick off the festivities at 7:30 p.m. CET (10:30 a.m. in Los Angeles, or 1:30 p.m. New York time, for more local reference), the Opening Ceremony sees the 10,500 athletes parade in by way of 94 boats on the Seine, leaving the Pont d’Austerlitz, in the east, and headed to Pont d’Iéna, six kilometers to the west. With one boat to carry all the athletes from each competing country, as well as 80 jumbo screens with speakers and free viewing areas for the public, there is little doubt that the colorful procession will be the busiest and most beautiful start to any Olympics yet.
According to Olympics.com, “athletes on board the parade boats will get glimpses of some of the official Games venues, including Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and lastly the Iéna bridge, where the parade will come to a stop before the ceremony’s finale at the Trocadéro.”
Along the parade route, 12 “artistic tableaux” are presented, drawing attention to the capital city’s famous monuments, architecture and history.
“We are delighted to have an opening ceremony that illustrates the meeting between sport and the city in the most beautiful way,” said Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. “With the natural light of the setting sun, the event will be even more sublime, with a truly poetic dimension, inviting both athletes and the public to appreciate the natural beauty of the City of Light.”
While the list of Opening Ceremony performers is still a secret (as of writing), the Games’ official website does promise “a unique multi-sensory spectacle ... [that] take[s] sport out of the stadiums and open[s] up the Games.”
Featuring broadcasts from every venue and including every Canadian medal-winning moment, from the opening to the closing ceremonies, CBC’s comprehensive coverage of Paris 2024 is set to total “more than 3000 hours of live content across the public broadcaster’s multiple platforms” (per CBC).
Announcing his impending retirement earlier this year, veteran CBC sports reporter Scott Russell, who’s worked in public broadcasting for 40 years, will make Paris 2024 the 17th and final time he’s covered the Olympic Games. Russell is set to go out on a high note, providing his signature coverage for the Olympic and Paralympic Games before bidding farewell to audiences across Canada.
“CBC Sports has been my home for my entire career in broadcasting,” he stated in a news release. “The places I’ve been, the friendships I’ve made, and the sport I’ve witnessed, leave me with a lifetime of memories. On top of that, I’ve been fortunate to work with the best people in the business.”
Alongside Russell, who will host “Bell Paris Prime Live,” CBC’s line-up of hosts includes Anastasia Bucsis and Rob Pizzo for “RBC Olympic Morning”; Andi Petrillo, Craig McMorris, Perdita Felicien and Waneek Horn-Miller for “Toyota Olympic Games Primetime”; Julie Stewart-Binks for “Bell Paris Prime Live”; and CBC Olympics reporter Devin Heroux.