The 2024 Olympics officially kick off on Friday, and they’re expected to begin with an opening ceremony unlike any other.
Rather than taking place in an Olympic venue, the opening ceremony will go through the heart of Paris. Athletes will be welcomed into the city on boats traveling through to the Seine River, greeted by an estimated 300,000 fans along its banks.
The event is a massive security undertaking, given so much of it is taking place outdoors, but the result is likely to be something not seen in Olympic history. Thousands of athletes will participate in the parade of nations, which begins with Greece and flag bearer Giannis Antetokounmpo as a tribute to the ancient Olympics that served as inspiration for the modern games.
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After Greece and the Refugee Olympic Team, countries will parade in based on alphabetical order in French. The exceptions are Australia, the United States and France, which will be the last three nations to enter as the future and current Summer Olympics hosts, respectively.
The Sporting News is following live updates and highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday. Follow along with all of the key moments below.
MORE: Watch the Olympics opening ceremony live with Fubo (free trial)
Olympics opening ceremony live updates, highlights from 2024 Paris Games
Updates will begin before the start of Friday’s opening ceremony.
Olympics opening ceremony start time
- Date: Friday, July 26
- Time: 1:30 p.m.
The opening ceremony is set to begin in Paris at 1:30 p.m. ET, or 7:30 p.m. local time. NBC’s coverage of the festivities will begin at noon ET.
NBC will broadcast a prime-time presentation of the opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET.
How to watch Olympics opening ceremony
- TV channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock, Fubo
The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will air live on NBC, which is again home to the Olympics.
Mike Tirico will serve as the on-air host for NBC’s opening ceremony coverage, alongside Kelly Clarkson, NFL great Peyton Manning, Maria Taylor, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.
The event can also be streamed live on Peacock or with Fubo, which offers a free trial.
How long is the Olympics opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony is likely to last close to four hours. The ceremony spanned about three hours and 53 minutes when the Summer Games started in Tokyo three years ago, with the parade of nations alone lasting just under two hours.
The setup of this year’s ceremony is a bit different, with boats traveling through the Seine River rather than athletes walking into a venue, so that could affect the length of the festivities. Still, it’s best to settle in knowing the ceremony will take some time.
