River Seine to be setting for 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, says Macron

The River Seine is seen curving through Paris during July 2021 preparations for Bastille Day. PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO (AFP) - The Paris 2024 Olympics will feature a unique opening ceremony with the city's River Seine the scene for the curtain-raising spectacular, said French President Emmanuel Macron.

In an interview with the French sports daily L'Equipe to appear on Sunday (July 25), Macron revealed that barges on the Seine and its quays would provide the urban setting for the ceremony on July 26, 2024.

"We want it to be a ceremony of the people, open to all and unique in terms of the experience it will provide. Something that makes sence to the French people and conveys a message to the rest of the world," the 43-year-old leader said in Tokyo on the sidelines of the delayed 2020 Games.

"We want something unique and revolutionary," he said.

The Seine and its banks have undergone a radical transformation over the past five years after decades of serving as a city-centre highway.

Most riverside roads now serve as pedestrian routes.

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