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How to watch: Paris Olympics opening ceremony goes forward through rain

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PARIS (AP) — The Paris Olympics got off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 11:30 a.m. MST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

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Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.

What time does the Paris Olympics opening ceremony start?

The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. MST and is expected to last more than three hours.

How can I watch the Paris Olympics opening ceremony?

The ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympic platforms — NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app.

A preview will air on NBC at 10 a.m. MST, with live coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. and an enhanced prime-time encore at 5:30 p.m.

About 220,000 invited and security-screened spectators are expected to fill the upper tiers of the Seine’s banks, and an additional 104,000 paying spectators will watch from the lower riverside and around the Trocadéro plaza.

Those in Paris who could not get tickets will be able to watch the ceremony on 80 giant screens set up throughout the city.

Who are the flag bearers for the United States?

Tennis star Coco Gauff will join basketball legend LeBron James as a flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at today’s opening ceremony.

Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is set to make her Olympic debut and will be the first tennis athlete to carry the American flag. She and James were chosen by Team USA athletes.

Who is performing at the opening ceremony?

In addition to the athletes who will participate in the parade, 3,000 dancers, artists and other athletes will be featured in the opening and closing ceremonies. Most of the entertainment acts remain under wraps.

NBC News reported that Celine Dion and Lady Gaga have arrived in Paris amid speculation that one or both of the pop singers will perform at the opening ceremony.

Where is the opening ceremony being held?

The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways.

Athletes aboard the boats will get glimpses of several Olympic venues including La Concorde Urban Park (3X3 basketball, breaking, BMX freestyle cycling, skateboarding), Invalides (archery, athletics — marathon finish, road cycling — time trial start) and the Grand Palais (fencing, taekwondo).

The parade ends at the Iena Bridge, which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro district on the right bank. The ceremony’s finale is at the Trocadéro. There, among other ceremonial procedures, French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver opening remarks.