Large sections of Paris were closed off on Friday as Olympic organisers ramped up the preparations for the spectacular opening ceremony along the river Seine on 26 July.
Six kilometres of the river Seine between Pont Austerlitz to the east and the Champs de Mars have been designated for the first launch ceremony outside the main Olympic stadium.
The procession involving a flotilla of boats and around 7,000 athletes will skirt around the two islands at the centre of the city – the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité – before passing under several bridges.
The cruise will take in Olympic venues such as Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides and the Grand Palais before ending near the Eiffel Tower.
"Athletes will be the heart and soul of the ceremony," said a Paris 2024 spokesperson.
"By opening with the parade of athletes, Paris 2024 is breaking with tradition," the spokesperson added.
"Athletes will be featured on stage during the introduction to and throughout the ceremony as part of Paris 2024’s constant aim to hold Games created for and by athletes."
However, the closure of central riverside districts to most vehicles as well as metro stations has inflicted complications for drivers as well as residents and tourists.
"The Olympics have brought us nothing but misery," said taxi driver Rabah Ouanes.
The 53-year-old complained on Thursday about deteriorating conditions because of construction work on the roads.
"I have lots of clients who get in and then abandon their journey when they see they're not getting anywhere."
Changes
Off the road, traditional hotspots were feeling the chill of the two-tiered security perimeter.
"Our clients are down by 50 percent," moaned Renaud, a senior waiter at Les Deux Magots cafe in Saint-German-des-Prés, which was sucked into the new security perimeter set up on Thursday.
"Normally we have people queueing out the door," he told the French news agency AFP.
Around 10km to the north-east of Saint-German-des-Prés, the first athletes arrived at the newly built Olympic Village in the Saint-Ouen.
Comprising around 40 different low-rise housing blocs, the complex has been built as a showcase of innovative construction techniques using low-carbon concrete, water recycling and reclaimed building materials.
"We are super excited to check how it's looking," Australian hockey player Stephanie Kershaw said en route to her room in the village. "We can't wait to get started."
Members of the Argentinian, Brazilian and Kenyan delegations as well British and American athletes were also due to settle in on Thursday.
On Wednesday, France's Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, attempted to calm fears of a terrorist attack during the opening ceremony.
He told journalists that security services had not established what he described as credible threats.
Around 500,000 people are expected to pack along the Seine to witness the ceremony. Some will view proceedings from seats in specially constructed stands along the river banks.
Martine Dubois, a 74-year-old living in Saint-Germain-des-Pres, branded the Games a real inconvenience.
"The metro stop I use has been closed for security reasons," she complained. "All the barriers make you feel like you're living in a prison."
