‘No pressure to attend’: Australian Olympians facing seven-hour commitment to be involved in Paris opening ceremony
Australian athletes are used to waiting around for an Olympics opening ceremony, but a break from tradition in Paris could see them pushed to extremes in 2024.
Australian athletes could face the prospect of a seven-hour commitment if they want to be involved in next year’s Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
The 2024 Games will see a break from tradition as the ceremony takes place on the Seine River that runs through Paris.
A six-kilometre route has been planned, starting from the east of the city near the Austerlitz bridge, before ending near the Trocadero with a clear view of the Eiffel Tower.
It is expected that 600,000 fans will line the streets to get a glimpse of the ceremony, far exceeding the number who can attend if it was held in a stadium.
Marketed as a ceremony “designed for and by athletes”, the logistics could however see competitors involved for up to seven hours if they want to be a part of the entire route.
Transport is often one of the most daunting reasons for athletes not to attend the ceremony. Australian team members have previously spoken about the hours they’ve had to face on buses just to get to and from the venue, with athletes almost missing the ceremony in 2016 after protests in Rio caused delays.
It could also prove difficult to add private transport options to help team members leave early with so many people lining the streets in Paris.
Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team, Anna Meares, confirmed that no athlete will be forced to be involved in the ceremony.
“[The length] is the case for any opening ceremony. But this one has a few more logistical challenges,” Meares said. “If they feel like the attendance of the opening ceremony might impact their performance, there’s no pressure for them to attend.
“So, it’s just waiting on the information from the Organising Committee about what they’re presenting, the time frames that it’s going to require to present that and then the support around the transport of athletes to and from that.”
With only two athletes announced to the Australian team for Paris so far, Meares said that it is too early to speculate how many will be involved in the ceremony.
The impact of Covid-19 meant that only 63 Australians participated in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony as they were led by flag bearers Cate Campbell and Patty Mills.
Another contributing factor will be the arrival of athletes in Paris. The AOC has made the controversial decision to stagger the entry and departure of Australian athletes, just like they did in Tokyo.
It could potentially mean a barebones Australian representation at one of the greatest showpieces in world sport.
However, Meares said that if asked for advice from athletes about whether they should attend, she would encourage them to go.
“Look, if your heart‘s in it and you don’t feel any hesitation to go, then go,” she said.
“If there‘s a moment of hesitation, don’t go. I mean, I didn’t do an opening ceremony until I carried the flag. But it’s up to the sport, sometimes it’s up to the athletes and whatever decision that is, we’ll support it from an AOC perspective.
“But it is an amazing experience if they can, and this one will be out of this world.”
After being selected for her fourth Olympic Games on Monday, Jess Fox is looming as a favourite to carry the Australian flag at the opening ceremony in Paris.
The canoe slalom world champion will be one of the most experienced members of the Australian team and with French links of her own, said it would be an honour to lead her compatriots down the Seine.
“[It’s] very early days to be talking about flag bearers,” Fox said.
“It would be an incredible honour to be named flag bearer, but I’ll enjoy being part of the two-person team for now.”
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