Did you know?
Rule 55 of the Olympics Charter details the protocols to be observed during the opening ceremony with one key rule that blows our hair back.
To quote:
During the entire period of the Olympic Games, including all ceremonies, no speeches of any kind may be held by any representative of any government or other public authority, nor by any other politician, in any venue placed under the responsibility of the OCOG (Organising Committees of the Olympics Games).
The only thing the Head of State is allowed to do is announce the opening of the Games.
In other words: bliss. No toxic politicians messing with our minds and freedoms, trying to manipulate us through fear and lies.
We could rant on about that a lot more but we won't because Rule 55 emphasises that the ceremony is about peace, human spirit, hott bodies, winning - and spectacle.
How far will the host nation go to impress us? The French are literally making a splash with it by taking the ceremony out of a stadium for the first time in history.
The whole shebang's happening on the Seine River with each nation arriving on their own boat, sailing in a six kilometre parade through Paris, with cameras on each boat to give us close-ups.
Approximately 94 boats will carry 10,500 athletes as well as delegates and the performers who must ground themselves while singing without losing their footing.
It's going to air and stream live on SuperSport Channel 203 from 19h25 to 23h15 on Friday 26 July and will air delayed on SABC2 at 21h30.
It's also airing on S3 at 23h00 but it isn't clear whether this is a repeat or if the broadcast changes over to S3 at that point.
If it disappears on SABC2 at 23h00, you know where to look.
You can also tune into SABC+ to see what coverage SABC Sport has as they're broadcasting the Olympics extensively but don't have a full schedule as to what's airing when.
While we watch the opening ceremony unfold, there's one aspect that we won't see: the controversy surrounding the Seine River that's receiving a dirty rap.
Using the river as a centre piece has come at a price for the French, especially their politicians, kwa kwa kwa.
Swimming in it has been banned since the 1920s because it's been considered too polluted to swim in, but suddenly it isn't anymore.
In fact it's so "hygienic" that Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and other French officials swam in it last week to prove that it's safe enough for athletes to swim in events such as the triathlons.
According to
Forbes, the river had unsafe levels of E. coli pollution at four different sections when it was tested last month so keep your peepers peeled for drama around that.
As for coverage of the actual events, here's an overview of what you'll find where:
SABC1, 2, 3 and SABC Sport
Coverage on SABC2 and S3 will be late nights: starts at approximately 22h30.
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SABC1 has an Olympics block from 12h00 to 13h00 on weekdays and from 00h00 to 05h00 every day.
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The three channels also have some daytime coverage in between, at different times.
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SABC Sport on SABC+ has a lot of coverage and the broadcast times of different events are in the online schedule with the channel.
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SuperSport
| Channel 199 |
A channel with the multi-screen that we told you about here
It broadcasts a split of eight different feeds from the Olympic channels at the same time. The Big Question: How big does your TV need to be?
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| Channel 201 |
SuperSport Grandstand features highlight events and performances.
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| Channels 203 to 208 |
Six dedicated Olympics Channels.
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| Channel 209 |
An Olympics channel for Africa.
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| Channel 217 |
An Olympics news and highlights channel available to DStv Access subscribers.
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The Olympics run from 26 July to 11 August 2024.