Tests results released on Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorise swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicised dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100ml determined by European rules on 17 June, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

Team GB are flying in a chef to help prepare meals for their athletes at a performance lodge in Clichy following underwhelming servings and rationing of high-protein foods inside the Olympic village.

Catering organisers have blamed supply problems for the low-standard of the food with Sodexo Live, the company in charge of catering, saying it has increased the daily order of several of the most popular items after complaints on the eve of the Games.

Deep in winter training last November, Keely Hodgkinson was “absolutely flying” in training when she first felt a niggle in her knee. It quickly worsened, with tests revealing a torn ligament which, given the importance of the year ahead, was an understandable concern.

It was a concern in the medium term because it ruled her out of winning what would have been a first global title at the Glasgow World Indoor Championships, where there were hopes she could challenge the 800 metres world record. It was a concern in the longer term because it meant she missed a host of important training sessions during weeks spent recuperating away from the track. And it was an immediate concern because the only way she could keep fit was doing things like cross training and work in the swimming pool.

“She hates that because the chlorine messes her hair up and she’s always very conscious about that,” explains her coach Trevor Painter.

Two masked figures featured in the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, first as a torchbearer ran across rooftops before a caped rider galloped down the Seine on a metal horse to deliver the Olympic flag.

The rider, Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie Nationale clad in silver armour, concluded her ride at the Trocadero, giving the Olympic flag a majestic entrance before it was hoisted.

Earlier, a mysterious figure wearing a black cloak, white hood, and with their face covered by a dark fencing mask, was heavily featured in the three-hour ceremony produced by director Thomas Jolly, and which included appearances from Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane and, for some reason, The Minions.

Paris 2024 always knew its idea for the opening ceremony was “crazy” but a relentless downpour on Friday evening ensured a damp start to the Olympics with many bewildered by its format.

Spectators scattered along the Seine, rather than packed into the Stade de France, meant a frustrating viewing experience too. And as Paris 2024 meandered through 12 tableaux of this floating parade, President Emmanuel Macron’s words proved rather prescient.

Clearly craving an idyllic sunset and starlit sky in the City of Light alongside its River Seine backdrop, Paris left many wondering why it swerved from the conventional format.

Alcaraz, 21, has teamed up with 22-time grand slam champion Nadal, 37, in a sensational doubles team for Spain at Roland Garros, the scene of Nadal’s 13 French Open titles.

Alcaraz won the French Open this season before adding Wimbledon for his fourth grand slam title, and has been tipped to be the successor to Nadal’s throne in Paris.

He will also be competing in the singles, as Novak Djokovic gets his bid underway. The Serbian, who was beaten by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, is yet to win an Olympic gold medal and this may be his last chance.

Adam Peaty has an alternative blueprint in mind in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke to what won him two Olympic gold medals.

Peaty gets his campaign in Paris under way on Saturday and is bidding to become just the second male in swimming history, after the great Michael Phelps, to win the same event at three consecutive Games.

He must come through the morning heats and evening semi-final to reach Sunday’s showpiece and at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Peaty topped the time-sheets on each occasion – but that is not his priority now.

The Olympics are underway at Paris 2024 and many of the early medals will be won in the pool as the swimming events begin.

Swimming is one of the most watched sports at the Olympics and its finals are often prime-time viewing in the opening days of the Games, as big names clash again and again across several fiercely competitive events.

The United States are typically strong in the pool, but the rivalry with Australia is brewing and of the big contests to look out for will be the USA’s Katie Ledecky with Ariarne Titmus renewing their battles across the women’s 400m and 800m freestyle events. France’s Leon Marchand, meanwhile, may become the face of Paris 2024 if he can triumph in his four events, including the men’s 400m individual medley where he has taken Michael Phelps’ world record.

The first gold medals of the summer will be handed out before lunch, with the mixed 10m air rifle finals taking place at 09:30 BST. The reigning Olympic champions, Chinese duo Haoran Yang and Qian Yang, are not competing, leaving the door wide open for Team GB pair Michael Bargeron and Seonaid McIntosh to bring home the first medals of the summer.

The shooting finals will be closely followed by the women’s 3m synchronised diving final, where the British duo of Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen, who have competed together since 2023, will both look to bring home their first medals.

Perhaps the biggest event of the day at Paris 2024 will be taking place in the pool at the Paris La Defense Arena, with a range of swimming disciplines making their first appearance. The day will include semi-finals in women’s 100m butterfly and 400m freestyle as well as men’s 100m breaststroke, with the day culminating in both the men’s and women’s 400m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay finals.

Several Team GB hopefuls will compete in each discipline, including Adam Peaty trying to reach the final in the men’s 100m breaststroke as he goes for a historic third straight gold, while America’s seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is set to compete in the women’s 400m freestyle, along with Australia’s Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus and Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh.