The Paris Olympics are set to open in a spectacular and unprecedented ceremony on the river Seine on Friday but hours before the show France’s rail network was paralysed by what officials said were acts of sabotage.
The parade on Friday evening will see up to 7,500 competitors travel down a six-kilometre (four-mile) stretch of the Seine on a flotilla of 85 boats.
But early Friday, French rail operator SNCF said the country’s high-speed network had been targeted by “malicious acts” aimed at paralysing the system.
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said it was an “outrageous criminal act” and Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera described the attacks as “downright appalling”.
French security forces have warned for months of the danger of attacks aimed at destabilising the Games.
Compared to the Covid-blighted 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by a year and opened in an empty stadium, the Paris opening ceremony will take place in front of 300,000 spectators and an audience of VIPs and celebrities from around the world.
Rain threatened to blight the ceremony after forecasters said there was a 70-80 percent chance of rain during the ceremony.
President Emmanuel Macron told a pre-Games dinner for heads of state and government: “Tomorrow you will have one of the most incredible opening ceremonies.”
The line-up of performers is a closely guarded secret but US pop star Lady Gaga and French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura — the most listened-to French-speaking singer in the world — are rumoured to be among them.
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It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, a decision fraught with danger at a time when France is on its highest alert for terrorism.
For months, organisers have been dogged by questions about whether they would need to scale back or move the procession, but they had insisted throughout that there was no Plan B.
A huge security perimeter has been erected along both banks of the Seine, guarded around the clock by some of the 45,000 police and paramilitary officers who will be on duty on Friday evening.
Another 10,000 soldiers are set to add to the security blanket along with 22,000 private security guards.
The opening ceremony is likely to define the mood for the rest of the July 26-August 11 Games, which organisers have pledged will be “iconic”.
Around 3,000 dancers are set to perform from the banks of the river and nearby monuments, including Notre Dame Cathedral, in a show that will promote diversity, gender equality and French history.
The landmarks and architecture of the City of Light, one of the world’s best-loved destinations, is set to feature as a backdrop both to Friday night’s show and much of the sport afterwards.
Paris’ vision is for a more cost-effective and less polluting Olympics than previous editions, with competitions set to take place at historic locations around the capital.
For scheduling reasons, some events have already started, including the football, rugby sevens and archery — the latter taking place in front of the golden-domed Invalides, the final resting place of Napoleon.
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