Olympic opening ceremony mistakenly announced for Seinäjoki in Finland

Today, news from Finland has left many surprised, as the website sortiraparis.com reported that the Olympic opening ceremony will take place in Seinäjoki. The Paris 2024 Olympics is preparing for significant plans, with events kicking off with the ceremony in Seinäjoki, according to a Finnish translation on the official Olympic site. It appears that the translation may have been generated by an automated service or artificial intelligence, mistakenly rendering “Seine” as “Seinäjoki.”

Leena Perämäki, CEO of the Seinäjoki development company Into Seinäjoki, responded with humor after learning about the news. “Seinäjoki is indeed a major city for events, so this kind of honor suits us well. We could quickly start developing something if this claim circulates,” she noted.

Perämäki expressed enthusiasm about the unexpected attention Seinäjoki is receiving. “We have to find a way to utilize this sudden honor in marketing. It’s wonderful that the world recognizes Seinäjoki as a significant city for events,” she added, highlighting the city’s reputation.

During the news report, Perämäki herself noticed how “Seine” sounds strikingly similar to “Seinäjoki.” She acknowledged that translation errors do happen from time to time but mentioned that such a mix-up had not occurred before. “People generally know how to put these things in the right perspective,” she remarked.

The opening ceremony of the Olympics is set to be celebrated in Paris city center, recognized as occurring at 20:30 Finnish time.