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Following weeks of anticipation, the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris is near, but in the hours before the historic moment was set to begin an attack on France's high-speed rail network paralyzed travel to Paris.
The widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, impacting not just travel to Paris but the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening of the Games.
What happened
French officials described the attacks as “criminal actions" and said they were investigating whether they were linked to the Olympic Games. The disruptions as the world's eye was turning to Paris were expected to affect a quarter of a million people on Friday and endure through the weekend, and possibly longer, officials said.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote on the social media platform X that France's intelligence services have been mobilized to find the perpetrators. Attal characterized them as “acts of sabotage,” which were “prepared and coordinated.”
“The consequences for the rail network are massive and serious,” he said Friday morning.
There were no known reports of injuries.
Local
Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete described people fleeing from the scene of fires and the discovery of incendiary devices. “Everything indicates that these are criminal fires,” he said.
The incidents paralyzed several high-speed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighboring countries, Vergriete said, speaking on BFM television, Vergriete.
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It was “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack" that indicates "a desire to seriously harm” the French people, French national rail company SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou said.
As Paris authorities geared up for a spectacular parade on and along the Seine River, three fires were reported near the tracks on the high-speed lines of Atlantique, Nord and Est. The disruptions particularly affected Paris’ major Montparnasse station, where the station's hall was full of travelers.
What does it mean for the Opening Ceremony
No announcements have been made on whether the Opening Ceremony events will change due to the attacks, but travel will likely remain an issue.
Government officials denounced the acts, though they said there was no immediate sign of a direct link to the Olympics. National police said authorities were investigating the incidents.
Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera said authorities were working to “evaluate the impact on travelers, athletes, and ensure the transport of all delegations to the competition sites” for the Olympics. Speaking on BFM television, she added, “Playing against the Games is playing against France, against your own camp, against your country.” She did not identify who was behind the vandalism.
SNCF said it did not know when traffic would resume and feared that disruptions would continue “at least all weekend.” SNCF teams “were already on site to carry out diagnostics and begin repairs,” but the “situation should last at least all weekend while the repairs are carried out,” the operator said.
According to NBC 5 Reporter Alex Maragos, who is in Paris for the Games, there have been no announcements made surrounding the Opening Ceremony.
What to know about the Opening Ceremony
For the first time ever, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium or arena. Instead, it will take place on water -- with thousands of athletes traveling down the Seine River in a floating parade.
Approximately 10,500 athletes will sail in a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats down Paris’ iconic Seine River. The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways.
Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues, including La Concorde Urban Park, Invalides and the Grand Palais. The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank.
The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.
Organizers say the Opening Ceremony will be the largest in history.
The ambitious ceremony will officially launch a two-week global competition featuring dozens of sports, hundreds of countries and thousands of athletes, though some Games started early.
According to NBC News, the 2024 Olympic Games will see the biggest security operation in French history, with officials touting 45,000 police officers and gendarmes on duty during the Opening Ceremony and 35,000 working every day after during the competition.
What time is Olympics Opening Ceremony?
The Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be on Friday, July 26. The ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m. CT and is expected to last more than three hours.
How to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony coverage will air live on NBC 5 starting at 12:30 p.m. CT. Friday. The event will air again in primetime coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. CT.
NBC’s networks and streaming services have a comprehensive TV schedule featuring more than 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Olympics.
