Paris: Rain is playing hide and seek here in the French capital as the Opening Ceremony is just a few minutes away, dampening the mood of the crowd present. The French Met Department has predicted the risk of rain showers during the ceremony on Friday evening owing to disturbances approaching the Paris region.
Though the weather was pleasant in the afternoon, now the rain continued to disrupt the proceedings.
Earlier, Mateo-France had stated, “In the morning, light rain occurs under a cloudy sky. An improvement is seen in the afternoon, with the rain fading away.
“The risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out.”
However, the Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Amelie Oudea-Castera, had promised on the RMC morning show, “The rain will not spoil the opening ceremony! It will not deteriorate the quality of the show.”
The opening ceremony starts at 11:00 PM IST. The scintillating evening will witness almost 100 boats carrying thousands of athletes sailing along the Seine during the parade of the nations.
Paris 2024 will mark the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games that the opening ceremony is held outside a stadium.
–IANS