Big goals and gambles

PARIS: Paris has long been a city of dreamers: Just look at the Eiffel Tower, for decades the world’s loftiest structure. Audacity also underpins the French capital’s plans for its first Olympic Games in a century, which open today with an opening ceremony for the ages.

The most sprawling and elaborate Olympic opening ever – a gala spectacular on the River Seine that even French President Emmanuel Macron says initially felt like “a crazy and not very serious idea” – kicks off 16 days of competition that promise to be ground-breaking, with nearly every corner of the city hosting some aspect of competition.