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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

‘No plan B’: Is Paris’ plan for River Seine Olympics opening ceremony on course?

The chief organiser of the 2024 Paris Olympics insisted on Wednesday there were no plans to move the opening ceremony of the Games from the river Seine amid ongoing speculation about the hugely ambitious water-based show.

'No plan B': Is Paris' plan for River Seine Olympics opening ceremony on course?
A peniche boat sails past the Eiffel Tower toward the Alexander III bridge on the River Seine on July 17, 2023, during a parade to test "maneuvers", "distances", "duration" and "video capture" of the future opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)

After months of denials that contingency plans were being put in place, French President Emmanuel Macron sparked new doubts last month when he said that there was “obviously a plan B, a plan C” for the opening ceremony on July 26.

But Tony Estanguet, who heads the Paris Olympics organising committee, stressed on Wednesday that the locaton for the ceremony would not be moved.

“Today, with the artistic director for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, we are working on an opening ceremony on the Seine. Our teams are not working on any other location,” he told France Inter radio.

French security services have consistently raised doubts about having the opening team parade on the river in the heart of the City of Light, citing the difficulty of securing such a large area and the risk of a terror attack or stampede.

With sporting delegations set to sail along the river in a flotilla of around 100 boats, it will be the first time the opening ceremony has taken place outside the athletics stadium in Olympic history.

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera called the plans “a key symbol of our ambitions for iconic Games” in an interview earlier this month.

READ MORE: Hotels, tickets and scams: What to know about visiting Paris for the 2024 Olympics

The Seine is also set to be at the heart of the sporting action during the July 26-August 11 event, with authorities rushing to clean up the waterway so it can host the open-water swimming competition as well as the swimming leg of the triathlon.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo promised Wednesday that she would take a “historic dip” in the Seine before the start of the Games to draw attention to what she sees as a key part of the city’s Olympics legacy: the creation of three open-air bathing spots for the public.

“Everyone said it was impossible and we’ve done it,” she told reporters at city hall.

Poor water quality forced the cancellation of three swimming test events last July and August, however, and local authorities still have thousands of new sewer connections and key storm-water infrastructure to finish in the next few months.

Estanguet said in December that 84 percent of the sporting infrastructure for the games had been finished and that organisers were on track to deliver “spectacular games” for the expected 10,000 athletes and millions of spectators.

The Paralympic Games are set to take place in Paris afterwards from August 28-September 8.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games periods, some 185km of lanes on roads around Paris will be reserved for event-related traffic – here’s what you need to know.

How Paris’s Olympic carpool lanes will work 

Between July 15th and September 11th, ‘Olympic lanes’ will be in use along certain stretches of key roads in and around Paris.

These lanes will be reserved for use by accredited vehicles to transport athletes, accredited journalists and official delegations, as well as emergency and security vehicles, cabs, ambulances and public transport.

READ ALSO Apps, reservations and flying taxis: What to know before visiting Paris this summer

The lanes will be activated on July 15, on the following roads:

  • A1 between Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Porte de la Chapelle, until September 11th;
  • A4 between Collégien and Porte de Bercy until August 13th, then from August 30th to September 8th;
  • A12 between Rocquencourt and Montigny le Bretonneux until August 13th, and again from August 27th to September 8th;
  • A13 between Porte Maillot and Rocquencourt until August 13th, then from August 27th to September 8th;
  • Boulevard périphérique, from Porte de Vanves to Porte de Bercy, via the north until August 13th, then from August 22th to September 11th;
  • Boulevard Circulaire (La Défense) until August 13th, then from August 22nd to September 11th;
  • Lanes on certain routes in Paris.

None of these roads will be closed – lanes along these routes that are not reserved for Olympic or Paralympic Games traffic are open to road users as usual.

The lanes in question will be signposted – signs, clearly marked with the words “Paris 2024”, will be in place from July 1st, and will be removed by the end of the day on September 15h. 

READ ALSO How to use Paris public transport during the Olympics

Who can use dedicated Olympic lanes?

Only vehicles and road users that have been properly accredited by the Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games can travel along these lanes during the periods indicated above. 

They include:

  • vehicles of accredited persons;
  • cabs;
  • public transport vehicles;
  • vehicles designed to facilitate the transport of people with reduced mobility;
  • and emergency and security vehicles.

READ ALSO Who needs a QR code to get around Paris during the Olympics

All other vehicles are prohibited from using these lanes throughout the Olympic Games period. Any vehicle circulating on an Olympic lane without having received prior authorisation is liable to a fine of €135 and possible further prosecution.

Road users without Olympic accreditation are advised to be aware of possible travel issues, as more vehicles are filtered into the other lanes. Therefore it would be wise to allow a little extra time for your journey if you are using one of the listed roads during the Games period.

An interactive map, showing routes with Olympic lanes is available here

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