Olympics organisers go with the flow as opening ceremony 'tests' postponed again
With just 60 days to go before the start of the Olympic Games, a test for the opening ceremony on the River Seine, scheduled for Monday morning, was postponed again.
The planned session involves technical tests to measure the distance between the boats taking part in the parade on the Seine on 26 July.
Due to heavy rainfall in recent weeks, the flow of the Seine is almost five times higher than usual for the month of May.
Navigation conditions are therefore very different from those expected for the day of the opening ceremony of the Paris Games.
Given the incomparable conditions, "there's no point in doing a test," a member of the Games' Organising Committee (Cojo) told France Info public radio.
Other dates had been earmarked for the tests, Cojo said.
'No worries'
For the organising committee, there is no risk involved in waiting until the last minute to test the manoeuvres and the timing of the boats.
The first test carried out last summer provided all the necessary elements, they insisted.
And if, in the worst-case scenario, the test couldn't be carried out, Cojo maintains it wouldn't be that serious since the boat captains take that route every day on the Seine.
Read more on RFI English
Read also:
The real star of the Paris Olympics is the storied River Seine
Ad campaign seeks to boost sales for Paris Paralympics
Who needs QR Codes for getting around during Paris Olympics?
