Challenges as Paris prepares Seine for opening | The Express Tribune
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PARIS: France's plan to have the gigantic 2024 Olympics opening ceremony on the river Seine is filling many Parisians with giddy anticipation, while some officials feel mostly dread over the logistical challenges. But whatever the obstacles may be, Paris is determined to make its iconic river a star, if not the star, of next year's Summer Games. Ever since French President Emmanuel Macron ordered organisers to create the most memorable start to any Olympics in history, officials have been working overtime to make it happen. Representatives from government, police, the national organising committee and Paris city hall know that so many things can go wrong up until the last minute before 8.24 pm (1824 GMT) on July 26, 2024, when 10,000 athletes on around 100 boats are to float down the river, marking the start to the biggest event in France for decades. The itinerary of six kilometres (four miles) between the Austerlitz and Iena bridges takes them past some of...