The opening ceremony of the Paris Games begins with the threat of rain and with Zidane

Paris, Jul 26 (EFE).- The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games began punctually at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, with the threat of rain and a video starring Zinedine Zidane.

In the video, the former footballer walks around Paris with a torch, which he receives from comedian Jamel Debbouze, who finds the Stade de France empty because the ceremony, for the first time, is taking place outside.

Zidane takes the flame down to the metro, until he passes the baton to some children who set off on a boat through the underground canals of Paris. Then they appear, accompanied by a hooded man, and now live, on the Austerlitz bridge.

French President Emmanuel Macron then arrived at the Trocadero, where a hundred heads of state and government and leaders of international organisations were waiting for him.

The 86 boats that will take the lead role along the Seine will carry the athletes from the 205 delegations participating in the Games.

They will sail the 6 km between the Austerlitz and Iena bridges, on their way to the Trocadero, where the athletes are expected to disembark to take part in the ceremonial part of the ceremony.

The city of Paris has been paralysed in its entire central part to create several security rings around the Seine, with no traffic, no pedestrians, no public transport and with all hospitality and commercial establishments closed for hours.

45,000 police officers, 20,000 private security agents and some 10,000 soldiers are involved in the operation.

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