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[Global Times correspondents in France Yu Chaofan and Shang Kaiyuan, Global Times correspondents in France Zhang Zhen and Yu Wen] At 7:30 p.m. on July 26, local time in France (1:30 a.m. on July 27, Beijing time), the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will kick off on the Seine River. This is the first time in history that the opening ceremony of the Olympics is held outdoors. According to Le Parisien, many foreign heads of state and government are expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, but the Elysee Palace did not publish the list due to possible changes at the last minute. On the evening of the 25th, French President Macron held a welcome dinner for foreign guests at the Elysee Palace. As the French government is fully preparing for the Olympics, international geopolitical tensions have also spread here. According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, the Israeli delegation's debut at the Olympics on the 24th was "marked by boos and quarrels in the stands," and France sent 1,000 police officers to maintain order. French Interior Minister Darmanin said that the Israeli delegation will be fully protected by French police 24 hours a day for the next two weeks. The Wall Street Journal said that in order to deal with potential threats and security risks brought about by the tense international situation, the number of security personnel mobilized for the Paris Olympics is almost three times that of the London Olympics. "This will be the largest security mobilization in peacetime in French history."

The last rehearsal of the opening ceremony

"Preparations for the historic opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics are in full swing," said Agence France-Presse, which is the first time that the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics will be held outside the main stadium. According to the plan, about 6,000 to 7,000 athletes from various delegations will take 85 cruise ships and sail 6 kilometers from east to west along the Seine River, passing through the center of Paris and arriving at the landmark Eiffel Tower. It is reported that during the opening ceremony, about 330,000 spectators will be present to watch, and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world will watch the live broadcast through television, the Internet and other means. Before the ceremony began, the area around the Seine River was blocked, and snipers and frogmen were arranged along the way to prevent water attacks. According to CNN, French officials have been boasting that about 600,000 people will watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on site, but this number has been greatly reduced for safety reasons.

On July 25, the French Paris Olympic Games mascot "Friger" was displayed in the official licensed merchandise store. (Visual China)

In an interview with France 2 TV a few days ago, Macron said that he was proud to be able to show the history of France to the world. "A new page will be turned on Friday. We must be full of enthusiasm and we will see that all the efforts are worth it."

On the 24th, the last rehearsal of the Olympic Games opening ceremony took place, and the participating artists rehearsed according to the scene of the opening day. In order not to affect the passage of the river and maintain the mystery of the opening ceremony program, the simulated parade was carried out in the early morning of the day, and some heavyweight guests rehearsed at night. According to the plan, about 2,000 dancers, musicians and actors will perform for 3 hours and 45 minutes along the banks of the Seine and on the bridges. The Olympic flame will also be passed simultaneously, and the lighting of the main torch at the Place de la Tote will bring the opening ceremony to a climax.

According to Eurosport TV on the 24th, Thomas Joly, artistic director of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, said he would try to explore all possible objects or scenes, such as the sky and underwater. Together with some famous French screenwriters, writers, historians and other creators, he planned 12 performance chapters for the "unprecedented, cheerful and inclusive" Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The chapters are cleverly conceived to allow the audience to follow the flow of the Seine River and the landmark buildings along the coast to immerse themselves in the program.

However, preparations for the opening ceremony were not smooth sailing. More than 200 dancers who were to perform at the opening ceremony launched a joint strike during the rehearsal on the 22nd to protest against the low remuneration offered by the Paris Olympic Committee. According to a report by France Sports on the 23rd, the French Artists' Union, which represents the dancers, failed to reach an agreement with the Olympic Committee and announced that it would maintain the strike on the day of the opening ceremony. However, a day later, they announced the cancellation of the strike plan. In addition, rainy weather may also affect the navigation plan of the Seine River. According to the French meteorological department, there is a 30% chance of rain on the evening of the 26th.

Despite the constant twists and turns, Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, said at a press conference a few days ago that Paris is ready for the opening ceremony and it will be an extraordinary celebration.

Chinese delegation denies rumor of bringing its own air conditioner to Paris

Before the opening of the Olympics, complaints about the environment of the Paris Olympic Village emerged. Some people accused the Olympic Village of having no air conditioning and poor facilities, which affected the athletes' training.

On the 24th, the Chinese sports delegation of the Paris Olympics held an online press conference to refute the rumors that the Olympic Village "installed its own air conditioners" and "the Chinese team brought mattresses". Zhang Xin, secretary general of the delegation, said that the Olympic Village can provide mobile air conditioner rental services, and the delegation will consider renting according to weather conditions. It is not true that the delegation brought its own air conditioners and mattresses. At present, the Chinese sports delegation headquarters and nearly 20 teams have moved into the Olympic Village.

The reporter of Global Times had the same feeling when he entered the Olympic Village on the 24th. From the reporter's nearly one-hour field visit, the Paris Olympic Village can be said to have "mountains, water, food and drink", all kinds of infrastructure are available, and the temperature in Paris these days is quite comfortable, except for the hot noon, and even a little cool in the morning and evening.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the 24th that French officials said that up to 45,000 police officers, 10,000 soldiers and 22,000 private security guards will be involved in the security of this Olympics, and the most difficult security challenge is to protect the opening ceremony on the 26th. According to officials from the US diplomatic security department who coordinated with France, this is the first time that the US police department has provided assistance to overseas Olympic organizers, including police from New York, Los Angeles and other places. The United States also sent sniffer dogs at the request of France.

"The scale of security for the Paris Olympics is unprecedented, with 75,000 security personnel deployed in the streets and alleys," the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said on the 25th, saying that the French police and armed forces are making final preparations for the Paris Olympics. The government closed some roads and subway stations, set up about 44,000 barriers, and established a complex QR code system for residents and others who want to enter the Seine River and the islands in the river. In the coming weeks, about 250 British police officers and 50 police dogs will arrive in France. They are part of 1,750 foreign police officers from dozens of countries, and other police officers come from Spain, Germany, South Korea, Qatar and other countries.

Geopolitical crisis affects Olympics

On the 25th, the President of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Rajoub, criticized the International Olympic Committee for allowing Israel to participate in the Paris Olympics, saying it was a manifestation of "double standards." He wrote to the International Olympic Committee earlier this week, asking it to exclude Israel from the Olympics, but was rejected by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Bach.

On the evening of the 24th, the men's football match between Mali and Israel was held at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Before the match started, the French security department was on high alert. Interior Minister Darmanin stressed that the match would be "protected by anti-terrorist security" and that the Israeli delegation, including referees, would be fully protected 24 hours a day by the French police for the next two weeks.

Le Figaro said that during the match on the 24th, as soon as the Israeli national anthem sounded, it was drowned out by a lot of boos from the audience. At the same time, a dozen people wearing white T-shirts attracted people's attention at the bottom of the stands. Each of them had a letter on the front of their T-shirts, which combined to form the words "Free Palestine". Agence France-Presse said that a small number of spectators waved Palestinian flags and clashed violently with Israeli fans.

In recent days, the participation of the Israeli delegation in the Paris Olympics has caused controversy in France. Members of the "Unbowed France" party particularly pointed out France's "double standards" in treating Israeli athletes and Russian athletes, with only 15 of the latter participating as individual neutral athletes. Thomas Bolt, a member of the party, said that just like with Russia, France should put pressure on the International Olympic Committee and not allow the Israeli flag and national anthem to appear in the Paris Olympics, but should use the Paris Olympics and "all means" to support the Palestinians in Gaza.

However, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated in a television interview on the 23rd that "Israeli athletes are welcome." He harshly condemned "those who in some way put these (Israeli) athletes at risk and threatened them." When asked about the "double standards" between Israeli and Russian athletes, Macron responded that because the backgrounds of the two countries' military operations were "fundamentally different," "France was one of the first European countries to propose a ceasefire." He also said, "This is a decision made by the International Olympic Committee, and we will not use the Olympics to play politics."

"The Paris Olympics will be held in a geopolitical crisis," commented Le Monde, a French newspaper. The crisis is marked by the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the escalating confrontation between major powers. However, peace lovers still hope to bring into play the unifying power of sports when the Olympics are approaching.