PARIS– Curious spectators gathered on bridges as dozens of boats snaked along the River Seine on Monday in a rehearsal for the unique opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics next month.
A total of 55 boats made the trip from the Pont d’Austerlitz, named after a French military victory in 1805, to the Pont d’Iéna, just steps from the Eiffel Tower, the country’s most impressive and well-known landmark.
Authorities are confident that almost four-hour ceremony it will work like clockwork on July 26th.
“Six months ago we had a delay of about 10 minutes in the schedule and today we are very close, almost the second, to our goals”, said Thierry Reboul, executive director of ceremonies. “So it’s very rewarding. We respect an extremely precise level of time.”
On the day of the highly anticipated event, around 200 Olympic delegations will participate in the parade in more than 80 boats. They will make the journey from east to west, along a six-kilometer (3.7-mile) route that has become a major talking point – for its audacity as a unique outdoor event and for its exposure to potential dangers.
Security concerns prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to say in mid-April that the ceremony could move to Stade de France if the threat level was very high. But Reboul said on Monday that authorities were preparing for the big day as initially planned, with no alternatives prepared at this stage.
There will be a final rehearsal, involving the entire armada of boats, before the opening ceremony – which is expected to take 100 world leaders to the city’s shores, where more than 300,000 people I will see.
“We will give our heart and soul to make it a great success for the French people,” French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on Monday. “They deserve it.”
The rehearsal had 10 police boats accompanying the convoy, as well as boats equipped with television cameras. There were armed police stationed at several points along the way. The boats crossed 16 bridges, passing through iconic landmarks such as the green Grand Palais – where fencing and Taekwondo events will be held.
On each bridge, a few dozen people watched intently.
“Fifty-five? That’s a lot of boats,” said Rosa Gabriel, 49. Taking a break between the walk between the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral, she looked at the Pont des Arts bridge – affectionately known as the Love Lock Bridge, with its thousands of personalized padlocks attached to the bars.
One tourist even mistook the scene for something else.
“Maybe they are making a movie,” said Driss El Kaoutari, a 42-year-old Moroccan who was on vacation in Paris with his daughter.
What people actually saw were empty boats floating slowly. But they will be full of life, color, sound and movement next month.
“We will have many members of the delegation on the boats with their uniforms and flags,” said Reboul. “Around them there will be many other things, as you can imagine.”
Water itself has become a delicate and thorny topic for organizers and politicians heading into the July 26-August event. 11 Paris Games. A huge Investment of US$ 1.5 billion has already been done to improve the Seine’s water quality, with Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo both promising take a dip.
This time, it was Oudéa-Castéra’s turn to give assurances about the river – where marathon swimmers and triathletes will compete during the Olympics.
She got a little angry when she responded.
“As for the water quality of the Seine, we are confident. You shouldn’t ask us to be ready in advance,” said Oudéa-Castéra, adding that a new waste collection center will open next week.
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