Paris Olympics preparations move up a gear

IOC President Thomas Bach said that "Preparations are going very well. The stage is set." for the Paris Olympics, which start on 26 July, at the Committee's last Executive Board meeting before the Games. Police with sniffer dogs were seen checking the six-kilometer route along the Seine for the ceremony in which up to 7,000 athletes will sail on nearly a hundred barges and river boats watched by 300,000 spectators.

French police will be bolstered by colleagues from several countries, including Spain, Britain and Qatar. The preparations for the ceremony have caused extensive disruption to residents of central Paris, who must have a pass with a special QR code to cross the Seine. Organisers say 8.8 million tickets have already been sold, beating the record from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.