France is preparing to welcome dozens of heads of state and government, royalty and US First Lady Jill Biden for the Summer Olympics that begin with a dazzling ceremony on the river Seine today.No Russian official representing Vladimir Putin’s government has been invited due to the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine, while an Israeli delegation will be heavily protected as tensions rage over Israel’s continuing bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas.But with only a day to go, there is still no confirmation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the opening of the world’s biggest sporting event in what would be a notable absence.“We are ready to welcome the world,” said Samuel Ducroquet, France’s ambassador for Sports.Russia, long a Summer Olympics powerhouse, has been banned from the Paris Games in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, but a tiny squad of neutral athletes will represent the country.A list of guests who will attend a reception hosted by President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace today does not include Zelensky’s name. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.The new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, who is keen to strengthen ties with France, will be in the stands overlooking the Seine to watch the river parade.Paris 2024 “is a big event for France but also for the UK,” said Menna Rawlings, the British ambassador to France, adding that around 500,000 tickets had been sold in Britain.Other European leaders expected to attend include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.Georgia will be represented by both Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and President Salome Zurabishvili, and Moldovan President Maia Sandu will also be in attendance.US President Joe Biden, 81, who has announced he is dropping his re-election bid and is recovering from Covid, will not fly to Paris, but US First Lady Jill Biden has confirmed her presence at the Games.The closing ceremony will be attended by Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is now in the running for the White House.Israeli President Isaac Herzog will attend the ceremony under heavy protection, despite protests from Tehran. Herzog will also meet Macron on the sidelines of the ceremony.The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, will represent Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan are not on the list of guests. Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the Paris edition and be represented by Vice-President Han Zheng.Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has entrusted his wife Rosangela with representing the nation, but Argentine leader Javier Milei and Colombia’s Gustavo Petro have confirmed their attendance.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are not on the Elysee list of guests.Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon and Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic will both be present. The attendance of Cameroonian leader Paul Biya and Rwandan President Paul Kagame has also been confirmed.The new Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, will be there but South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa will skip the event.The opening ceremony will coincide with the first anniversary of a coup that ousted Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, and the country will be represented by sports ministry official Abdoulaye Mohamadou.Britain’s Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, and Prince Albert of Monaco arrived on Monday to attend the IOC meeting, as both countries are IOC members.The King of Spain, Felipe VI, is also expected. Denmark will be represented by King Frederik X and Queen Mary as well as Princess Benedikte, the sovereign’s octogenarian aunt.Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places are not expected to stop, but the Olympics will be an opportunity for intense diplomatic activity.Today, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to urge nations to “lay down their arms”, and Macron has also called for “an Olympic truce”.
