TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will kick off with an unprecedented outdoor opening ceremony along the Seine on Saturday (July 27) at 1:30 a.m. Taiwan time, with the Chinese Taipei (中華代表團) team set to depart on the 74th boat, sharing the vessel with Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Chad.
The ceremony will mark the first time the Olympics has held its opening event outdoors. Athletes from 206 countries and 8,500 members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will participate in a six-kilometer water parade. The event will start at Pont d'Austerlitz and pass iconic landmarks like the Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame de Paris, Place de la Concorde, and L'hôtel des Invalides.
Organizers expect around 600,000 spectators to join the festivities. The Chinese Taipei delegation, led by Chang Huan-chen (張煥禎), will include 21 athletes, 12 coaches, and six staff members. Meanwhile, Taiwan badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) and Taiwan's B-boy Sun Chen (孫振) will serve as flag bearers.
The opening ceremony will last 3 hours and 45 minutes, and boats will enter alphabetically, with Greece traditionally leading and host nation France concluding the procession.
With the stage set for 16 days of competition, all eyes will be on the Seine as the world celebrates the spirit of the Olympics.
