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On Monday, nearly exactly one year before the start of the sports spectacular, over 40 boats participated in a practise run of the incredibly complex opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on the river Seine.
On Monday morning, all traffic on the river running through the heart of the City of Light was suspended while the boats sailed the six-kilometer (3.7-mile) course that delegations of athletes, TV crews, and emergency services will travel next July.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place outside the main athletics stadium for the first time in Olympic history, with participants and officials travelling through Paris on a flotilla of more than 100 ships.
Organisers face a tremendous challenge in providing security for participants as well as a crowd of several hundred thousand on the Seine’s banks.
On Monday, approximately 40 boats were used to simulate delegation arrivals, with an additional 18 boats being used by emergency services, organisers, and the host broadcaster.
Event director Thierry Reboul announced in advance that a novel method of shooting the ceremony needed to be tested.
French theatre director Thomas Jolly, 41, is in charge of choreography, although his plans are still a secret.
The organisers have sold tickets for about 100,000 prize spots along the river, and several hundred thousand people are expected to be permitted to watch for free from the riverbanks.
Also praised as “unbelievable” by principal organiser Tony Estanguet was the customary torch relay preceding the games.
The famous Mont Saint Michel in northern France, the Chateau de Versailles, and the French Caribbean will all host stops during the 80-day relay that will see the torch being sailed from Greece to Marseille in the south.
Between July 26 and August 11, the Paris Olympics are scheduled to take place.
