The highly anticipated opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is under threat from rain. French weather channel La Chaine Meteo predicts a 70–80% chance of moderate to heavy rain during the event, scheduled for 7:30 pm local time on Friday.
The ceremony, a grand spectacle of four hours featuring thousands of athletes parading on boats along the Seine River, is the first of its kind to be held outside a stadium. Hundreds of thousands of spectators and a global TV audience are eagerly awaiting the event.
Prediction of 2 centimetres of rain
While meteorologists are unsure of the exact rainfall, some models predict up to 2 centimeters of rain within a few hours. Despite the gloomy forecast, organizers remain optimistic, emphasizing the spirit of the event. However, the state weather authority Meteo France offers a slightly less pessimistic outlook, forecasting milder rain conditions.
What will be the sequence at the opening ceremony?
In the opening ceremony, Greece always enters first to honor the country that started the Olympic Games. Following Greece, the nations will enter in alphabetical order according to French. India will be the 84th nation to enter. France, as the host nation, will enter last at number 205. Just before France, the USA will enter as the 204th nation since they will host the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Who will be the flagbearers from India?
India’s shuttler and two-time medal winner, PV Sindhu, along with ace table tennis player, Sharath Achanta Kamal, will be the flag bearers at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.