After years of preparation, Paris 2024 will soon be kicking off the Olympics with an unprecedented opening ceremony on the River Seine later on Friday (July 26), Reuters reports.
On a rainy morning, police security had already fanned out in areas near the river.
France has rolled out its most extensive security operation to safeguard the Games and its blockbuster opening ceremony. Officials say there is no direct threat to the Games but that they have foiled two suspected attacks so far.
Up to three billion people are expected to tune in for the opening ceremony, in which athletes will sail 3 1/2 miles down the Seine against one of the world's most stunning backdrops.
Organizers have largely kept their plans for the ceremony under wraps, but Thomas Jolly, the event's artistic director, spoke this week of "a large fresco" celebrating "the relationship that Paris and France maintains with the world."
