The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will traditionally not take place in a stadium. The French organization has planned a parade on the Seine River, with athletes in boats sailing a route of about six kilometers, and fans (about 330,000 people) applauding on the banks at various points. But a mega-security scheme had to be developed to complement Plan B.
According to Reuters, if there is a concrete threat on July 26, the ceremony will be moved to the Trocadero (near the Eiffel Tower) or the Stade de France. There are no real threats yet, but the greatest concern is the possibility of isolated actions and protests.
The route will be guarded by 45,000 police officers, as well as snipers surgically placed on the roofs of buildings. A drone-prevention system will be introduced, traffic will be greatly reduced, some metro stations will be closed, and the city’s airspace will be closed. As of this week, residents of these areas have received a code to access their homes.
The ceremony, which will take in the city’s main tourist attractions, is expected to last four hours. There will be cameras on the boats that will carry the athletes so that spectators can follow everything that happens on the boats.