PARIS, June 26, (Xinhua): With one month to go until the opening ceremony, Paris is in the final stages of its preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Here is a look at how the French capital is shaping up to stage the world's largest sporting event for the third time in its history.

Over the coming days and weeks, the Paris 2024 organizing committee will step up its transition from preparation to operation mode. Major facilities and venues that will open their doors include the Main Press Centre, the International Broadcast Centre, and the Olympic Village, which will accommodate over 14,000 residents, comprising athletes, coaches, support staff, and officials.

The Paris 2024 Main Operations Center, which has been functional since mid-April, was due to start its full Games-time operations on June 26, while finishing touches are also being made to other venues.
The construction of temporary facilities at key Parisian sites like the Concorde and Trocadero public squares, the Invalides monument, and the Eiffel Tower is nearing completion. These works include provisional grandstands to accommodate 37,000 spectators for events such as basketball, skateboarding, BMX, and breakdancing. Authorities have also implemented traffic detours designed to make large swaths of the city pedestrian-friendly.

On the competition front, more than 80% of the qualifying schedule has been completed, representing more than 8,000 athletes. The remaining event slots will be confirmed by the end of June, and national committees have until July 8 to register their athletes. Paris 2024 will mark the first time that athlete participation at the Olympics will feature full gender parity.
More than eight million tickets have been sold so far for Paris 2024, already ensuring that it will be one of the best-attended Games ever.

The organizing committee has reported particularly high demand for athletics, swimming, basketball, football, and rugby sevens. Other popular events include volleyball, handball, beach volleyball, field hockey, tennis, and water polo.

Fan enthusiasm has already been evident in the buildup to the Games, with over 2.5 million people attending the Olympic torch relay in France, including 150,000 in Marseille. Another six million people have followed the relay on television.
The general public can also participate in the mega-event through the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, a multidisciplinary artistic and cultural program that features over 2,000 projects, 80 percent of which offer free entry.

Additionally, more than 900 activities for fans have been set up across France, providing opportunities to watch the Games, engage in cultural and sports activities, explore cities, and enjoy the local cuisine.
Amid concerns over potential threats such as drone attacks, the French government has halved the spectator capacity for the Olympic opening ceremony.

Up to 300,000 people will be able to watch the ceremony from stands located on the banks of the River Seine, down from an initial plan to accommodate 600,000.
The curtain-raising event will feature national teams parading in boats along a 6km (3.8 mile) stretch of the Seine through central Paris.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron has indicated that the ceremony could be relocated to an enclosed stadium if security risks escalate.