Tourists will not have free access to Olympics opening ceremony along Seine

Paris will stage the Olympics this summer (Michel Euler/AP)

Tourists will not be allowed to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics for free as initially promised, the French government has announced, as it grapples with security concerns about the unprecedented open-air event along the River Seine.

Organisers had planned a grandiose opening ceremony on July 26 for as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge.