In Paris. Final preparations and rehearsals are underway for the opening ceremony. NBC 5’s Laura Harris has a preview of the big event in the City of Light.
For years, Paris Olympics organizers have been planning what they are calling an Opening Ceremony for the ages. A ceremony that will be the first ever to be held on water and outside of a stadium. That type of event on the world stage and outdoors requires an extensive amount of security.
Organizers reportedly have tens of thousands of security personnel from local police to the military who will patrol the Opening Ceremony from the ground, on the water and by helicopter.
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WATCH HEREIngrid Xue said she has lived in Paris for the last eight years and has never seen anything like it.
“I mean the closest thing I can think of is COVID [the pandemic], but even then, I don’t remember it looking like this,” Xue said. “There should be cars, there should be people, all up and down this street next to the river, but there is nothing.”
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SIGN UP Xue and a friend have tickets to the Opening Ceremony. They were a couple of the lucky ones. They work at a business a few blocks away from the Seine River. That business owner was offered a few tickets and they quickly accepted.
“I am so excited about it. I will never get to see something like this. I know others are excited too,” Xue said.
Several businesses along the river have been closed due to the security measures. Entire blocks are enclosed by large fencing where tourists and others would be packing the area. Other restaurants and stores that are right outside what is being called the ‘red zone’ are just thankful they aren’t.
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“We are doing fine. Thankful those barriers aren’t closer to us,” one worker said.
The Opening Ceremony will feature more than 90 boats carrying more than 200 delegations and thousands of athletes as they glide down the Seine in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to line the banks of the river.
