Who will sing at the Olympic opening ceremony? Three days before the event, the arrival in Paris of Lady Gaga and Celine Dion have made them the natural favorites in the predictions, joining Aya Nakamura in the club of diva contenders.
While the stars arrive, starting with rapper Snoop Dogg who, before carrying the flame on Friday, posted a photo of himself in front of City Hall, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) began its traditional pre-Games session on Tuesday, with the allocation of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games on its agenda.
The organizers are working to keep a secret about a parade that promises to be grandiose, on the Seine, the first ceremony outside a stadium in the history of the Olympic Games.
Also the presence, the actions and gestures of the stars are closely monitored. The Canadian singer Celine Dion was seen posing with fans in front of the Royal Monceau, a prestigious hotel, where she put down her suitcases.
Footage of Lady Gaga waving to fans from the sunroof of a car has been widely shared on social media.
The presence of Aya Nakamura, whose name has been circulating for months, has not been officially confirmed, but the singer of “Djaja” and “Pookie” should participate in the festivities on Friday dressed in Dior, according to a source close to the case.
Dupont superstar
This parade of people is set to continue on Wednesday until this ceremony in front of 300,000 people under high security. But for some of the 10,500 athletes, the Olympics will have already begun.
From Wednesday, the French rugby sevens team, led by Antoine Dupont, a global rugby star, will embark on its quest for a medal, with a first match against the United States, driven by the ambition of dethroning the double Olympic champions from Fiji.
The French football team, coached by Thierry Henry, will also begin their mission, as will Spain, which is aiming for a double after its Euro triumph. As for Mali-Israel at the Parc des Princes, it will take place under high security.
“Coming here to Paris and seeing the gendarmes, the national police, the presence, it’s impressive,” says Michael Finn, a retired American who walks near the Olympic rings on the banks of the Seine and feels “safer in Paris” than at home in Chicago.
“We don’t have tickets, but we’re still here for the atmosphere. Yes, to party with everyone,” says Joseph Bayani, a 23-year-old English pharmacist.
“Moment of truth”
Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Monday that France was ready to welcome the millions of visitors expected for the world’s major sporting event, which ends on August 11.
Three years after the Tokyo edition, which was subject to strict health conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly nine million tickets have been sold, according to the organizers, who are pleased to have broken the record set by Atlanta in 1996.
“Now the moment of truth has arrived: the competition begins, for the athletes and the organisers,” stressed IOC President Thomas Bach.
In a geopolitical context marked by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the IOC members can congratulate themselves on having brought together “206 national Olympic committees”.
About thirty Russians and Belarusians will participate individually and under neutral banners, their committees having been excluded.
The Ukrainian athletes have settled in Wattignies, in northern France. “Each Ukrainian team and each athlete will give everything he or she has to represent our nation, our flag, our beautiful country and our independence on the world stage,” commented Oleksi Serdiuchenko, head of the delegation.
The French Alps await
The Palestinian Olympic Committee and Iran have requested the exclusion of the Israeli delegation, a request which has no chance of success.
In a video message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for people around the world to “lay down their arms” ahead of the Games.
The IOC session should also theoretically deliver the vote to award the 2030 Winter Games to the French Alps and those of 2034 to Salt Lake City.
But the French case is complex: in the absence of a fully functioning government, France has not been able to provide the guarantee of delivery of the Games signed by the Prime Minister, which the body theoretically requires.
According to a source close to the case, Emmanuel Macron, who is due to give a radio and television interview on Tuesday evening, will go before the IOC on Wednesday to support the French candidacy. In private, a source close to the candidacy file expressed his optimism to AFP on Monday.