France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympics opening ceremony through the heart of Paris, officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, Reuters reported.

Some 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff will ensure the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments, in an unprecedented display of security.

A procession of barges will take nearly 7,000 athletes along the river past Paris’s most famous landmarks, while more than 300,000 spectators will watch from the banks.

Since the last Olympics in Beijing in 2022, wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense backdrop to the Games. France is at its highest level of security – though officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.

As part of a vast security operation, authorities have turned to powers passed under an anti-terror law, placing 155 people under surveillance measures that strictly limit their movement, according to official data and a Reuters review of cases.

Meanwhile, Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say.

Scores of world leaders will be in Paris for the opening ceremony, which will be protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine’s riverbed has been swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace will be closed, read the report.

For the Games more generally, radar-surveillance planes and Reaper drones will watch sensitive sites from above, and Mirage 2000 fighter jets will be on standby to intercept aircraft straying into restricted airspace.

EVERYTHING READY

“Everything is ready,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video he posted on X. “Even the (Olympics) rings are there,” he said, overlooking the Eiffel tower. “Enjoy the Games!”

Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy.

But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and is casting a shadow over his moment on the international stage.

High security also means much grumbling from locals, after police imposed a security zone along the river ahead of the opening ceremony, erecting metal barriers to fence off neighbourhoods and requiring authorisation – passes with QR codes – to enter.

Cafes along the banks of the Seine, which normally buzz with activity in the summer, have been left very quiet due to the restrictions.

That has not helped lift the national mood over the Olympics, which Macron will hope improves once the Games have properly started.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means Moscow’s usually huge delegation of athletes has been reduced to 15 who met and accepted eligibility requirements to compete as neutrals, according to a list published by the IOC on July 20.

Belarus will send 17 athletes competing as neutrals, Reuters reported.

Ukraine is sending 140 athletes – its smallest contingent since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

FLOATING PARADE

Starting at 7:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), in broad daylight, the ceremony, which marks the official start of the Paris 2024 Games, will pass by many of the French capital’s beloved landmarks, including the Louvre museum and Pont des Arts bridge.

“We’re going to take advantage of all the historic monuments around the Seine, and there won’t be a single riverbank or bridge that won’t be filled with music, dance, or performance,” the ceremony’s choreographer Maud Le Pladec, opens new tab has said.

It will the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside of a stadium.

Details including some of the artists taking part, who will be the last to carry the torch and light the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games, have been kept secret.

The artistic team said they had been rehearsing in private to keep it all under wraps.

One big unknown for the open-air ceremony is the weather. It is currently forecast to be cloudy, while organisers were hoping there would be a “golden hour” of sunset lighting up buildings midway through the ceremony.

More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday. The closing ceremony will take place on Aug. 11, read the report.

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Key things you need to know about men’s football at Paris Olympics

Paris 2024 is just one day away from the official opening and millions of Olympic Games fans around the world will be treated to what will surely be a magical spectacle.

For the first time in the history of the summer Olympic Games, Paris 2024 will host the iconic Opening Ceremony outside of a stadium – and it will be bigger than any one to ever come before.

The revolutionary event will take place on the Seine River, where the 10,500 athletes will float down the river on boats with their National Olympic Committees on Friday 26 July to kick off the Games.

The route is six kilometers long and will end in front of the Trocadéro – the site of the Palais de Chaillot, across the river from the Eiffel Tower.

Spectators will be able to watch the entire parade from the sides of the river and it is the first time an Opening Ceremony will be open to as many people as possible with no cost of admission, apart from one area.

Eighty giant screens will also be strategically placed with speakers throughout the French capital, so the whole city will be able to enjoy the atmosphere.

Phryge: Paris 2024’s Mascot

The Olympic Phryge was unveiled as the official mascot for the Paris Olympics back in November 2022. The Phryges are donned in red, white and blue colors – just like France’s flag – with the 2024 Olympic logo across their chests.

Special medals

From the iconic venues to the much anticipated Opening Ceremony, every athlete who makes it onto an Olympic podium will be taking home a piece of the Eiffel Tower.

A piece of original iron from the iconic landmark will sit in the center of each bronze, silver and gold medal in a hexagonal shape, branded with the logo of the Games.

The reverse side of the medal depicts an adaptation of the rebirth of the Games, featuring the goddess of victory Athena Nike.

Beyond the medals, here are more of the ways in which Paris will be an incredibly special edition of the Olympic Games.

Afghanistan broadcast schedule

Ariana Television Network (ATN) will meanwhile ensure fans in Afghanistan also get to enjoy this global sporting festival.

Friday’s opening ceremony will be broadcast on both Ariana Television and Ariana News from 10.30pm Kabul time – following a pre-show that starts at 10pm.

On Saturday, July 27, a pre-show will air from 11am, followed by Olympic events from 11.30am to 1.30am Sunday morning on Ariana Television.

Also on Saturday, Ariana News will broadcast Olympic events from 11am to 5.30pm.

All times are Kabul time.

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Central Paris locks down for Olympics as athletes arrive

Today, Wednesday July 24, is the day millions of people worldwide have been waiting for. It’s the start of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

While the Games will officially only start on Friday, July 26, Football group stage matches will kick off Wednesday, and Rugby Sevens group stage matches will take place on Thursday.

First up on Wednesday will be Uzbekistan vs Spain. This match will be broadcast live on Ariana Television from 5.30pm Kabul time.

This match will be followed at 7.30 pm Kabul time by the Guinea vs New Zealand match and then at 9.30pm, Japan will take on Paraguay. At 11.30pm, host nation France will play USA.

These matches will all be broadcast live, and legally, across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.

What you need to know about men’s football at the Games!

Men’s football action at the Olympic Games will take place from 24 July to 9 August.

The 16 best youth teams in the world are boosted by the inclusion of some superstar over-age players, in what’s likely to be an unpredictable event.

Olympic men’s squads must consist of players under the age of 23, with three overage players allowed as part of the 18-man squads.

Back-to-back reigning Olympic champions Brazil did not qualify for Paris but the standout teams involved include Argentina, Spain, and hosts France.

Sixteen teams are divided into four groups of four. Each nation plays against all the other teams in their group, with the top two in each group progressing to the knockout stages.

Group A: France, USA, Guinea, New Zealand
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, Ukraine
Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel

Stars to watch!

Hosts France will be led by captain Alexandre Lacazette, the former Arsenal man now back at boyhood club Olympique Lyonnais.

Naby Keita, Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2019, will also be captaining his nation of Guinea in Paris.

Argentina can count on four players who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup: Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi, Geronimo Rulli and Thiago Almada.

The quartet will try to write history as the first male players to win the FIFA World Cup and then Olympic gold, in that order, a unique feat in football.

Two new European champions, Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena, are aiming for more glory with Spain and trying to improve on the nation’s silver medal at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021).

Achraf Hakimi will be determined to lead Morocco to the gold medal match, as it will be hosted at the PSG star’s home stadium, the Parc des Princes.

Along with Lopez and Baena, Ukraine’s Maksym Taloverov are playing at Paris 2024 having already lined up for Euro 2024 in a busy summer of football.

There are also plenty of big names who will be leading their nations from the sidelines.

France are managed by French football legend and Olympic Torchbearer Thierry Henry, while Argentina’s two-time Olympic champion Javier Mascherano is aiming to become the first man to win the Olympic men’s football tournament as a player and a coach.

Javier Mascherano won two gold medals with Argentina at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

Where are the matches taking place?

Men’s football games will take place in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Nantes.

The gold medal match will be played at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 9 August.

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