TRAVEL CHAOS STRIKE FRENCH TRAINS

The French High Speed train service has been suspended following acts described as “criminal and malicious” overnight.

A number of arson attacks have damaged lines and all services are either suspended or diverted, including those on the Eurostar from London.

The Opening Ceremony tonight will be policed by France’s largest ever peacetime security operation with 45,000 police and 10,000 soldiers on the streets of the city and everything being monitored from the sky by drones.

There will be natural concern among the 300,000 expected to line the banks of the Seine to watch the arrival of the athletes and a show expected to be viewed and enjoyed around the world.

That though is the nature of modern life where security needs to be in the minds of all of us.

We can only hope that measures undertaken to prevent any criminal or terrorist acts is effective and that the Games pass off without incident as the celebration of humanity that it promises to be.

 

WELL HELLO THE INGEBRITZ

Olympic Champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his brothers Henrik and Filip have released a music video on the eve of the games that plays to their Norwegian Pride, the history of the country at the Games, and the occasional jab at their neighbour countries.

Nobody Does it Better or Ingen Gjor Det Bedre for those with a grasp of Norwegian is a unique way of preparing for the Games, a little less intense than the Netflix Sprint series with Noah Lyles and Sherika Jackson but it is perhaps worth three minutes of your day if you are not afraid of getting its Eurovision style ‘earworm’ stuck in your head for the next two weeks.

 

READY TO BE ENTERTAINED

It is not to everyone’s taste but the Olympic Opening Ceremony will be spectacular and memorable.

100 boats carrying as many as 10,000 athletes and others will start their journey along the Seine from the Austerlitz Bridge and end at the Trocadero facing the Eiffel Tower.

There will be dancers and entertainment on each of the 11 other bridges it will pass under and the banks will be packed with spectators.

A global TV audience of 1.5 billion will tun in around the world.

I can still clearly remember the ceremonies from Beijing, London and Rio and am excited for what tonight will bring.

RTÉ’s coverage starts at 6 PM with the Ceremony itself scheduled for half an hour later.

Lean in as they say and prepare to be entertained on an incredible scale.

 

Sport for Business will host its inaugural Children and Sport Conference in Dublin on Thursday September 19th, with the support of Allianz Ireland and Sport Ireland. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.

Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.

 

The Olympic Federation of Ireland and PTSB are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.

Find out more about joining us today.

Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.