This Thursday, July 25, heads of state from around the world and personalities will gather around Emmanuel Macron for a dinner under the Louvre pyramid on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
This Friday, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place on the Seine. The world is flocking to the French capital, including many heads of state. They are also invited, along with other personalities, by the International Olympic Committee under the Louvre pyramid for an exceptional dinner this Thursday evening. This meal has been a tradition since the Sochi Games in 2014. The Elysée wants to make it “a diplomatic moment”.
The feast will be orchestrated by Alain DucasseThe chef is used to prestigious meals: he organized the one between François Hollande and Xi Jinping at Versailles in 2014, between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin at the same place in 2017 or the one between the Trump and Macron couple at the Eiffel Tower the same year. The dinner will be preceded by the “Sport and Sustainable Development” summit at the Louvre as well, which aims, according to the Elysée, to highlight “the importance of sport as a vector of progress”.
Among the guests at this dinner, Emmanuel Macron would have, according to the JDDdismissed his Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. If the precise list of guests has not been revealed, there would be around 500 guests according to ReleaseThe various leaders should be accompanied by figures from the world of sport as well as the bosses of the Olympic sponsors.
Many heads of state present in the capital
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden are unlikely to attend, as they are meeting in Washington on Thursday. The US president’s wife could be there, however, as could Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as they have confirmed their attendance at the opening ceremony the following day.
While Vladimir Putin was not invited, the Chinese president received an invitation card, but preferred to send his vice-president Han Zheng to the opening ceremony, who could therefore also attend the dinner. Also in the same case will be the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Argentine President Javier Milei and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, according to The Parisian. British Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, and Prince Albert of Monaco have also been in the capital since Monday. Several thousand police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized to ensure the movement and security of the heads of state.