Tides and protesters leaves the opening ceremony of Paris Olympic Games’ on the nose

It sounded like brilliant idea - an open air Olympics opening ceremony - until Mother Nature and angry protesters jumped in.

The grand Paris plan to host the Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine River is in danger of turning to you-know-what.

A planned rehearsal for the outdoor opening ceremony last weekend was postponed because recent heavy rain meant the Seine was flowing five times as fast as it normally does.

The rehearsal was to have featured more than 80 barges that will ferry teams participating in the Games down the river as more than 200,000 fans line the river bank.

As if that setback was not enough, angry Parisians threatened to defecate in the river before next month’s Olympics.

The protesters are taking a stance against the cost of purifying the river before the Games.

French citizens are planning a controversial protest against the government's expensive plan to clean up the Seine River in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. Picture: PRussiet

The Seine is scheduled to host the open water and triathlon swimming events as well as the opening ceremony.

Paris is the first Olympics to host an opening ceremony outside its main stadium.

When the concept was announced it was widely acclaimed as being innovative and inclusive of the common fan who could not afford a pricey ticket to the opening ceremony.

But as the event draws near, organisers are being constantly reminded the open-air setting, while original and potentially breathtaking, is extremely vulnerable to the whims of mother nature or disgruntled protesters, the likes of which there are many in France.

Late last week water-testing experts said the Seine was too polluted to host the opening water events.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for 101 years but the French government has committed $1.5 billion to cleaning it up for the Games.

French President Emmanuel Macron has committed to having a swim in it but is yet to name a date, while Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo promised to swim in it on June 23 but has delayed her excursion until after next month’s elections.

Originally published as Tides and protesters leaves the opening ceremony of Paris Olympic Games’ on the nose