‘Games wide open’ is the motto for this year’s Paris Olympics, which officially begin today with the opening ceremony.
It is the first time in 100 years that the French capital has held the summer Games, with the mainstream of the events taking place in or around the city’s most iconic areas.
Today’s opening ceremony will see boats carry athletes and dignitaries down 6km of the River Seine, with room for 300,000 spectators.
Few details are known about the event – though there has been conjecture about Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are performing – with the ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly saying he wants to “show France in all its diversity”.
The Paris Games is the first to accomplish gender parity among athletes, arm with 5,250 male and 5,250 female athletes set to compete.
With millions predictable to attend the Games, Paris is making the final touches for a Game it hopes will be like no other.
French President Emmanuel Macron believed earlier this week that the country was “ready and we will be ready throughout the Games”.
However, some Parisians have used social media to warn people about matters such as overcrowding, price inflation and difficulties in getting around the city.
There is a huge security operation in place, with up to 5,000 police, soldiers and hired guards on patrol at any one time. The Seine – the river than runs through the centre of Paris – has been fenced off for the opening ceremony, leaving residents needing QR codes to access certain areas.
That has affected local businesses along the Seine, leading to some criticism but. French authorities say the barricades will be removed after Friday’s event.
The cost of this year’s Games is expected to be about 9bn euros (£7.6bn), with the organising committee hopeful to make it the greenest Olympics in history.
Only two arenas are new and purpose-built – an aquatics centre and an arena for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.
Sinhala 
English