For security reasons, can the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games take place as planned? The question has been asked for several months. At the top, the answer has always been “yes”, although over time adjustments have been made. The number of participants has been reduced and most of the free places have become invitations – but the opening of the Olympic Games should go well on the Seine. Unless…
It could be that this great event which “will make Olympic history”as announced by the Paris 2024 Committee, is reduced to its simplest expression. This time, not because of the safety or cleanliness of the river water, which always leaves something to be desired, but because of the increase in its flow.
Too much flow…
Jacques Budin, captain of the boat Imagineselected to participate in the parade, reports to our colleagues from France 3 Île-de-France: “For a small boat like mine, it’s not too much of a problem because it’s still very manoeuvrable, but a big boat gets immediately swept away by the flow and, as a result, it can no longer maintain the speed required by the ceremony, which is 9 km/h.” For this reason, the parade rehearsal, scheduled for Monday, June 24, has been postponed and the ceremony of July 26 is threatened.
This significant flow is due to precipitation which was 40% above average this year. “It has been raining heavily for more than 7 or 8 months now in the north of Franceexplains Paul Marquis, independent meteorologist at e-weather servicequestioned by BV. There has been record rainfall at times. Mechanically, the waterways are more loaded than usual.”
…but perhaps beneficial
For his part, Marc Guillaume, the prefect of Île-de-France, wanted to be reassuring at the microphone of France Info : “Since this weekend, the flow has dropped significantly and, in any case, in July, this flow will be a summer flow. » And “reassuring speech” which our meteorologist does not want to believe: “The Seine risks maintaining a sustained flow for a long time to come. I have trouble seeing how the flow of the Seine could return to normal between now and the Olympics. » He adds : “It would take at least 10 to 15 days of dry weather for the level to drop, and for the moment, that is not at all what is forecast. If we look ahead to July 14, 70 to 80 mm of rain should fall. That will at least support the flow of the Seine.”
If the weather situation does not improve, as Paul Marquis believes, the ceremony will be held only at the Trocadéro and the river parade will be cancelled. This would perhaps be a blessing in disguise, because it would be much nobler for the cancellation to be caused by river flow than by France’s inability to organise this event safely. The bad weather and the Seine will perhaps allow the organisers to save their honour.
