“We are ready as we head into the final phase,” Estanguet told a press conference in Paris, five days from the opening ceremony next Friday. He added: “For as long as the closing ceremony hasn’t finished, we need to remain vigilant. But today we are exactly where we would have dreamed of being a few years ago.
” Finishing touches are being applied to the venues across the City of Light and thousands of athletes and officials are pouring in, while the weather has brightened up after months of rain. In a further boost for organisers, the water quality of the river Seine — which is set to be used for outdoor Olympic swimming events — has also improved dramatically since the start of July. “All the indicators for the Seine are positive at this stage,” Estanguet added.
The river is set to host the opening ceremony which will see 6,000-7,000 athletes sail down it on 85 barges and boats. It will be the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main athletics stadium, with up to 300,000 ticketed spectators set to watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 expected to watch from the overlooking apartments. Around 4,000 tickets are still available for the ceremony, Estanguet said.
“We’ve always tried to maintain as high a level of ambition as possible so that these Games make France shine,” Estanguet added. The vast security operation for the opening ceremony is causing some friction, however, with large parts of central Paris along th.