PARIS, France — President of Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA)
Christopher Samuda says this year’s Games will be one of the greatest ever as the city of Paris prepares to host the opening ceremony today — one of the biggest open-air shows on Earth.

The event will mark the first time the theatrical curtain-raiser for the world’s biggest sporting event takes place outside a stadium. Instead of the traditional parade around a stadium track, more than 9,000 of the world’s top athletes will be transported by boat along six kilometres of the River Seine in a kind of sporting armada, as more than 300,000 people watch from the bridges and riverbanks while police, frogmen, and snipers stand guard. The athletes will glide down the river while dancers, pop stars, tightrope walkers, and acrobats perform daring feats on water, rooftops, bridges, and artificial islands using pontoons, floating pianos, and helicopters.

“As you know, the opening ceremony is going to be different from former years; this is going to be outdoors on the river. It is going to be a remarkable scene, one that I think commends the Olympic values,” said Samuda. “It is a scene that brings you closer to nature and all the attributes of nature — the peace, the tranquility, the vision of the sea — and it just reminds you of the former years of the Olympics when the Games were far more connected to nature,” he said.

Samuda also said that the ceremony is expected to help unite people across the globe, and bring back many memories from former Olympic Games.

“It brings back Olympians and stakeholders to nature on the sea, and I think it is an excellent idea. Yes, there are concerns about security risks but, as I have always said, we cannot have those fears imprisoning the spirit of sports,” he said. “We must be able to liberate our sport to the extent that our stakeholders — both internally and externally — and those fascinated by sport can enjoy the Olympic Games. Having it outdoors, where we will be looking at the heavens, the Earth, and the fruits of the Earth, I think is an excellent idea,” Samuda added.

Triple jumper Shanieka Ricketts and swimmer Josh Kirlew are the Jamaican flag-bearers.

Meanwhile, Samuda underscored that he is very confident the Jamaican athletes will do well at the Olympic Games because they have shown in their build-up to the Games that they are determined to succeed at the highest level.

“I am expecting good performances in track and field. What I particularly like about this cadre of athletes — and I am not saying it was non-existent in previous cadres — is that there is a yearning for success and a willingness to succeed,” said the JOA boss. “They are willing to overcome and become champions. There is no fear of the scene, no fear for the first-timers, because they have said, ‘I have earned this place and I am going to do my best and make my country proud.’ “