How to watch the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony

On Friday, July 26, the 2024 Paris Olympics will officially open, with athletes from around the globe representing their home countries.

With 24 hours to go for the games, here’s all you need to know about the opening ceremony.

A ceremony outside a stadium

For the first time in Olympic Summer Games history, the opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium.

Paris 2024 is innovating by integrating sports into the city’s fabric, hosting the ceremony along the River Seine.

This means that the athlete parade will take place on the Seine, with each national delegation aboard a dedicated boat, which will be equipped with cameras for close-up views for television and online audiences.

The 10,500 athletes will journey on the river, traversing central Paris.

The 6-kilometre route will conclude at the Trocadéro, where the remaining Olympic protocols and final performances will occur.

Paris is getting ready… ✨
See you in 2 days ⏳
–
Paris se prépare… ✨
Rendez-vous dans 2 jours ⏳

🗓️ 26 juillet
🕖 19h30
📺 @Francetele et @EurosportFrance#Paris2024
📹 Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/k9llivDm3D

— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) July 24, 2024

Among the flag-bearers of various nations to watch out for are NBA superstar Lebron James and tennis star Coco Gauff for the US, showjumper Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi for the UAE; and shuttler PV Sindhu will hold aloft India’s tricolour.

Leading the way for Team USA. 🇺🇸

Two-time Olympic gold medalist @KingJames has been selected as our men’s flag bearer for the #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony. pic.twitter.com/NN4NLWwwfc

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 22, 2024

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has thrown its full support behind Cindy Ngamba and Yahya Al-Ghotany, the athletes chosen as flag bearers for the Olympic Games, who will proudly bear the banner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC announced that boxer Ngamba and taekwondo athlete Al-Ghotany would be carrying the IOC flag on behalf of the committee’s Olympic team during the opening ceremony.

Record spectator admission

The ceremony will be open to a significant number of spectators.

Approximately 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators will occupy the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, while an additional 104,000 paying spectators will view the event from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.

For those unable to secure tickets, 80 giant screens throughout Paris will broadcast the ceremony.

The Paris 2024 site states, “The Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be the largest in Games history. It will be open to all: residents from Paris and its region, as well as visitors from all over France and around the world.”

Paris Olympics 2024 parade route and timing

The river parade will follow the Seine from east to west, covering 6 kilometres.

It will start from the Austerlitz bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes at 7:30 pm Central European Time (9:30 pm Gulf Standard Time) and pass notable landmarks such as the Île Saint Louis, Île de la Cité, Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, and the Grand Palais, before concluding at the Iéna bridge near the Trocadéro.

The ceremony will also feature the host nation’s flag raising, national anthem singing, live performances showcasing the host nation’s culture, and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

How and where to watch the Paris Olympics opening ceremony

• UAE: beIN is the official broadcaster for the Olympics 2024.
• Saudi Arabia: Similarly, beIN is the official broadcaster for the Olympics 2024 in the kingdom and you can catch it on TV on the beIN Sport channel.The beIN Sport channel will telecast the games to other GCC countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
• UK: Coverage will be split over several channels:
  • BBC One: Free coverage from 8 am to 10 pm daily, switching to BBC Two during the news.
  • BBC iPlayer: Olympics Extra channel from 8 am to around 11 pm.
  • Eurosport 1 and 2: Additional coverage requiring a Sky TV membership or Discovery+ subscription.
  • Discovery+: Streaming every medal and moment for £3.99 with over 55 channels and 3,800 hours of coverage.
• US: Coverage starts at 1:30 pm EDT, with live broadcast on NBC and streaming on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
• India: JioCinema for web or app viewing, and Sports18 as the official TV broadcast channel.

The full list of official broadcasters can be seen here.

Additionally, France24’s YouTube livestream is sure to cut to the opening ceremony and you can keep track of it here.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates around the Paris Olympics 2024.

Read: IOC accepts recommendation for cricket at 2028 LA Olympics: Final vote to come