SEVERAL FIRSTS: Breaking with history for the first time the opening will be held outside the stadium, in the city, and in the river

By Sports Reporter

Thinking outside the box, revolutionising the Games, yet remaining accessible to a large audience is the challenge met by Paris 2024.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of Paris 2024, the City of Paris, the French government, the IOC and the CNOSF, the opening ceremony is being remade anew, transferred to the heart of the impressive playing field the athletes will make their own as soon as it ends, the City of Light itself, in the greatest popular celebration of sports, right in the heart of Paris.

Breaking with history, the opening ceremony will be bold, original and unique. Paris 2024 will offer an opening ceremony that is certain to join the most memorable moments in Olympic history, including several firsts.

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the ceremony will not be taking place in a stadium. Paris 2024 is breaking new ground in sports competition by bringing sports out into the city and the same will be true for the opening ceremony, which will be held in the heart of the city, along its main artery, the Seine

Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine, with boats for each national delegation, equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close. Wending their way from east to west, the 10,500 athletes will thus cross through the centre of Paris, the overall playing field for the Games, which will showcase their sporting prowess over the next 16 days.

The parade will come to the end of its 6 km route in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.

Holding a ceremony open to a very large audience, with no admission fee for most of its spectators, is a major first. Spectators will not need tickets to access the upper quays. Spectators wishing to access the lower quays, from the Austerlitz bridge to the Iéna bridge, will need to purchase tickets. Hundreds of thousands of spectators will be able to attend the festivities along the banks of the Seine. Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers will allow everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this show reverberating throughout the French capital. The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be the largest ever held in the history of the Games. It will be open to all: local residents from Paris and its region, along with visitors from all over France and around the world.

Athletes will be the heart and soul of the ceremony. By opening with the parade of the delegations, Paris 2024 is breaking with tradition. Already during the introduction and throughout the ceremony, athletes will be featured on stage alongside the performers, as part of Paris 2024’s constant aim to hold Games created for and by athletes.

NOAH TO SWEEP MORE OLYMPIC MEDALS

PARIS 2024: Lyles was aiming to bag three golds in the upcoming Olympics now recently decided to target not three but four gold medals.

By Sports Reporter

American athlete Noah Lyles cruised to a stunning 2024 season-opener after winning the 60m race at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. On February 4, the 26-year-old athlete improved his personal best timing in 60m by just 0.07s. Moreover, Lyles expressed his drive to take on the Olympic medals in Paris later this year.

At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2024, Noah Lyles clocked an impressive 6.44s. Previously, he ran his personal best at the same meet last year within a 6.51s time frame. Nevertheless, he left behind second-placed Ackeem Blake and third-placed Ronnie Baker. The Jamaican athlete clocked 6.45s whereas the American athlete’s timing was 6.54s.

In the aftermath of his victory, Noah Lyles drew parallels with his previous performances in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix meets and how they indicate his 2024 Olympic win.

He told NBC Olympics and Paralympics in an interview,

“I’m just thinking about in 2022 when I PR’D and I ran an American record. I’m thinking about last year when I PR’D at this meet and I became the three-time world champion. Now I am looking at another major PR. Guess what that means….We coming after everything.. All the Olympic medals. I don’t care who wants it. It’s mine.”

Furthermore, the athlete was asked about how his indoor meet performance can impact his future outdoor meet timings. Lyles explained,

“All that people talk about is my start isn’t good. My acceleration isn’t good. Well, guess what? I just improved my 60m. The worst part of my race. It’s dangerous out here.”

Noah Lyles made history in the 2023 World Athletics Championships by winning three gold medals. He continued his dominance in the 200m race for the third time. Lyles also clinched gold in the 100m and 4x100m races. It made him a part of the triple-triple gold medals club which is already graced by legendary athletes like Usain Bolt and many others.

After the 2023 world championships, Noah Lyles was aiming to bag three gold medals in the upcoming Olympics. However, he recently decided to target not three but four gold medals.

In 2023, Lyles made headlines announcing his participation in the 4x400m race. He told World Athletics in an interview that “a close friend” suggested the idea of winning four gold medals instead of three at the 2024 Olympics. Lyles’ friend reminded him of how good he was in the 4x400m race during his high school days.

Lyles said in the interview, “I’ve never had somebody tell me something that has thrown my out-of-the-box thinking to inside-the-box, but that was like: okay, I’m not going to say no to that. Because after what I did at Budapest and seeing what my body can handle, if I train for it, okay, let’s take a shot. It’s the last race, there’s nothing to lose. If I’m in shape for it and I’ve trained for it all year, sure let’s take a crack at it. If they allow me, if they need me and they are willing – let’s go, let’s take it.”