(NEXSTAR) – The River Seine has become the center of the sports world this Friday as an estimated 6,800 athletes board 90 boats in a Parade of Nations to kick off the 2024 Olympic games.
These games signal the return of crowds following two COVID-dampened Olympics. About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators are expected to fill the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.
In the video player above, live images show the skyline above the City of Light as 206 delegations from across the world join in what is expected to be the largest opening extravaganza in Olympic history. The live camera showing the Eiffel Tower and other landmarks is provided by a partnership between the American University of Paris and Nexstar Media. This live view will be available throughout the 16 days of competition.
In addition to the athletes who will participate in the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other athletes will be featured in the opening and closing ceremonies.
Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.
Organizers say 9.7 million tickets were sold or allocated for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 8.7 million sold for the former and 1 million for the latter.
For Paris, a total of 10 million tickets were put on sale for the Olympics — meaning that despite the historic popularity of the sporting events and unprecedented scale of this year’s competitions, there will still be many empty seats remaining.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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