French President Macron has give the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics a green light to go ahead with its plans for a spectacular opening ceremony on the Seine rather than in an Olympic venue, despite earlier security questions.
However, it may not end up as big as the organizers' original plan for a flotilla of 200 boats passing by some 600,000 spectators along the river. The question now is not security, but cost: Macron has made clear that "The Games must finance the Games," meaning that the French government won't spill out new subsidies for the events.
Paris has made a point of trying to be the most energy-efficient and cost-effective games ever, and to create a 'new model' for the competitions, which have often spectacularly overspent, leaving cities and countries in the red. An aide to Macron said that France is discussing with the International Olympic Committee "if savings could be made" on some events and sites.
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