France downsizes Paris 2024 opening ceremony crowd to around 300,000 spectators

PARIS (AP) — French Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday that some 300,000 spectators will be able to attend the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games, about half the size of what was originally planned. The giant show on the River Seine on July 26 will mark the first time that an opening ceremony is held outside of a usual stadium setting. It will also involve a massive security operation, with tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers deployed. The athletes will be paraded through the heart of the French capital on boats on the Seine along a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route. Both banks of the river will be lined by spectators, behind multiple security cordons.