Eight days from this Wednesday before the eyes of the world turn to on Paris and the Seine, Paris 2024 is revealing the names of the two men and two women who wrote the narrative of the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera swam in the Seine on Saturday, raising hopes that the river will be clean enough for competitors at the Paris Olympics, which start in less than two weeks. The 46-year-old was joined by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be France's flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on 28 August.

The postponed rehearsal for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on the River Seine has been rescheduled for 16 July, France's Ministry of Sport and the Olympic Games said on Friday. When Paris 2024 begins with a waterborne parade down the river on 26 July, it will be the first Olympics in history to take the opening ceremony out of its traditional setting of the main stadium.

Heavy rain, pollution, security fears, possible cancellations - the spotlight is on the river that runs through much of France and has its most problematic point in the capital.

Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of the city that will host the thirty-third modern Olympic Games, has announced that she will bathe in the River Seine during the week of 15 July in an attempt to silence rumours of pollution in the river that could lead to the cancellation of Olympic events.

Despite recent heavy rains, swimming in the River Seine is still the plan at the Paris Olympics after a $1.5 billion (€1.3 billion) investment to improve the water quality, according to a report Thursday by the Associated Press. Marathon swimmers and triathletes are scheduled to plunge into the cleaned-up waters after the Olympics open in July.

Double Olympic biathlon gold medallist Dmitry Vasilyev has accused International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach of resorting to desperate measures ahead of Paris 2024, claiming that the Games may not even take place.

On Tuesday, the Louvre Museum in Paris announced its intention to host yoga and sports sessions within its iconic galleries. This initiative is part of a broader city-wide cultural programme ahead of the Olympics.

Since Paris launched its bid to host the Olympic Games, which it successfully secured in 2017, the project has undergone numerous changes by the organisers and government authorities.

More than 250,000 new tickets for the Olympic Games have will go on sale on Wednesday 17 April at 10am CEST. This is one of the last opportunities to see the stars of the Games in action, including Léon Marchand, Teddy Riner, Simone Biles, Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson and Lebron James.

Security for the Paris Saint-Germain-Barcelona Champions League football match at the Parc des Princes will be "significantly increased" after Islamic State threatened to "kill them all".

The French Minister for Sport and the Olympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, has assured that the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony has a contingency plan in place and has ruled out any "terrorist threat" at this stage.

During the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony on 26 July, a procession of 180 boats, 94 of which will be used to transport athletes, will sail down the River Seine. Up to 326,000 people will witness the spectacle.

Voies navigables de France (VNF) and Paris 2024 have agreed to work together to "integrate" the River Seine during the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.

The Council of Paris has approved controversial plans for some second-hand booksellers to leave the banks of the River Seine during the Opening Ceremony of next year's Olympic Games, citing security reasons.