Phryge is the official mascot of the Paris Olympics. Its prototype is the soft hat symbolizing freedom worn by people during the French Revolution.

The Paris Olympic Games will officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday local time. The slogan of this Olympic Games is "Games wide open".

This is the second time that the French capital Paris will host the Summer Olympics after 100 years. The first two were held in 1900 and 1924 respectively. Most of the events at this Olympics will be held in or near the most iconic areas of Paris.

At Friday's opening ceremony, athletes and guests will take boats along a six-kilometer stretch of the Seine, with a capacity of 300,000 spectators on both sides of the river. The opening ceremony will start at 19:30 Central European Time (Friday), July 26 (18:30 British Summer Time, 1:30 am Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei Time on the 27th).

While few details are known about the opening ceremony, there are rumors that Celine Dion and Lady Gaga will perform on stage. Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the opening, said he wanted to "showcase the diversity of France".

The Paris Olympics will achieve gender equality among athletes for the first time, with 5,250 male athletes and 5,250 female athletes participating.

It is estimated that millions of people will come to watch this Olympics, and Paris is making final preparations to host an Olympics like no other.

Only two venues are new
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that France "is ready and we will be ready throughout the Olympics."

However, some Parisians took to social media to warn of problems such as overcrowding, rising prices and difficulty getting around.

Paris has implemented a massive security operation, with up to 5,000 police, soldiers and hired guards on patrol at any time. The Seine, the river that flows through central Paris, was surrounded during the opening ceremony, with residents requiring QR codes to access certain areas.

This has affected business along the Seine, sparking criticism, but French authorities said the barriers would be removed after Friday's event.

The budget for this year's Games is expected to be around €9bn (£7.6bn), with the organizing committee pledging to make it the greenest Games in history.

How is France preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics? Can the opening ceremony still be held on the Seine?
Security for the Paris Olympics is unprecedented, with 75,000 soldiers spread throughout the streets

Only two Olympic venues are purpose-built new: an aquatics center and a badminton and rhythmic gymnastics venue.

Other iconic venues include the Stade de France (the national stadium) and the French Open venue Roland Garros, while historic sites such as the Grand Palais and Place de la Concorde will also host events.

One of the biggest concerns in the run-up to the Olympics has been the water quality of the Seine River, where the swimming legs and open water events of the triathlon will be held.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for a century due to water quality issues. Test results in June still showed E. coli levels in the river were above the upper limit set by the sports federation.

However, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo went swimming in the river on July 17 in an attempt to prove that the water quality was safe.

Before the competition, water quality in different areas will be tested regularly.