France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympic Games opening ceremony through the heart of Paris.

It is officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

Some 45,000 police personnel, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff have been mobilised.

This will ensure the safety of the parade along the river Seine, its banks and surrounding monuments in an unprecedented display of security.

A procession of barges will take nearly 7,000 athletes along the river past Paris’s most famous landmarks, while more than 300,000 spectators will watch from the banks.

Since the last Olympics (the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022), wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense backdrop to the Games.

France is, however, at its highest level of security, even though

officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.

As part of vast security operations, authorities have turned to powers passed under an anti-terror law, placing 155 people under surveillance.

According to official data and a Reuters review of cases, these strictly limit their movement.

Meanwhile, Israel’s competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics, officials say.

Scores of world leaders will be in Paris for the opening ceremony, which will be protected by snipers on rooftops.

The Seine’s riverbed has been swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace will be closed.

For the Games, more generally, radar-surveillance planes and Reaper drones will watch sensitive sites from above.

Also, Mirage 2000 fighter jets will be on standby to intercept aircraft straying into restricted airspace.

”Everything is ready,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a video he posted on X. 

“Even the (Olympics) rings are there,” he said, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. “Enjoy the Games!”

Mr Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy.

But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and is casting a shadow over his moment on the international stage. 

(Reuters/NAN)