Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony kicks off Games in unique style
Highlights of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony
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The 2024 Olympics kicked off in Paris with a grand display as thousands of athletes floated down the River Seine, passing by energetic performers on bridges, shores, and rooftops in an ambitious twist on an opening celebration.
Trading in a sports arena for a river for the first time to kick off the "best event on Earth", the nearly four-hour performance ended with French judo legend Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lighting a cauldron resembling a hot air balloon that soared high into the sky above Paris.
The Tricolore flag was hoisted high above Austerlitz Bridge as blue, white, and red fireworks lit up the sky. 6,800 athletes from 205 countries sailed on 85 boats and barges, passing by iconic landmarks in the beautiful city of Paris.
During the event, unexpected acts took place, such as a lively show by American musician Lady Gaga and a moving performance by renowned Canadian singer Celine Dion.
The morning began with big problems when the French train system was affected by fires, and then heavy rain in the evening ruined plans by artistic director Thomas Jolly to use the sunlight in Paris to make the water shine.
The heavy rain made athletes wear rain ponchos and bring umbrellas, but it didn't take away from the exciting experience of exploring French history, art, and sports shared by over 2,000 musicians, dancers, and other artists.
The final two boats in the parade had the most athletes on board, with the US representing the next hosts for Los Angeles 2028 and France following closely behind. Other boats held multiple delegations together as they made their way down the river.
Olympic athletes Helen Glover and Tom Daley had the honor of carrying the flag for Great Britain at the Summer Games in Paris. This is the third time Paris has hosted the Games and the first time in a century.
During the 33rd summer Olympics opening ceremony, held in the midst of challenging international and domestic political situations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach encouraged athletes by reminding them that they were now participating in an event that brings the world together in harmony.
Over 10,500 athletes will participate in 32 different sports at the Games, which will come to an end on 11 August.
Picture credit, Getty Images
The Olympic torch was a container shaped like a hot air balloon that ascended into the sky above Paris
Paris Makes Olympic History
When the planners first announced their idea to have the opening ceremony by the river in the center of the city instead of a stadium like usual, some people were surprised and wondered how they would handle the large security task.
The cleanliness of the Seine River was being closely examined, and the idea of transporting thousands of athletes along a six-kilometer section without a trial run was seen as quite challenging.
However, on Friday night, with the support of a security operation that included tens of thousands of police officers, Paris successfully executed its plan in a spectacular manner.
Sometimes it was strange - first Lady Gaga was on stage with pink and black feathers, singing in French, then the athletes from Bangladesh were being welcomed on their ship.
Many times, it was energetically busy and sometimes touched with feelings.
Due to the sudden change in weather, the mood in Paris shifted from sunny to gloomy, mirroring the unexpected turn of events in the ceremony's storyline regarding the arrival of the Olympic flame.
The person carrying the torch was unaware that the event was not taking place at the Stade de France, and then Zinedine Zidane's subway train experienced a malfunction while he was carrying the torch.
After that, we saw ballet, cancan, opera, well-known paintings coming to life, and even Minions - and occasionally a masked runner was spotted crossing rooftops and zip-lining, as the parade moved from Austerlitz Bridge to Pont d'Iena.
The athletes on the boats waved flags as they passed famous landmarks in Paris, like the Louvre museum, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, and Arc de Triomphe. They also enjoyed watching 12 artistic performances along the way.
Lady Gaga's show at the Paris 2024 kickoff event
One part of the show highlighted the efforts to restore Notre Dame, which was harmed by a fire in 2019. A big group of dancers performed to music created using sounds recorded from the famous cathedral's renovation.
A different episode focused on the history of France, where singers in costumes sang songs from Les Miserables and a choir of headless figures resembling Marie Antoinette joined the French heavy metal band Gojira.
French-Malian R&B sensation Aya Nakamura, who is currently the top French-language artist in terms of streaming numbers worldwide, was one of the featured performances at the event.
The event concluded at the Trocadero, where the adjacent Eiffel Tower illuminated. The torch, which was carried by a masked torchbearer and a mechanical horse on an intricate journey, was returned to Zidane. Zidane then passed it to Rafael Nadal, Nadia Comaneci, Serena Williams, and Carl Lewis.
The group took the torch on a boat to the Louvre, where several French athletes and para-athletes, including 100-year-old gold-medal cyclist Charles Coste, passed it on before finally giving it to Riner and Perec.
And just when you thought the event couldn't get any more captivating, the couple ignited the 30-meter tall hot air balloon, making it appear as if it were floating over the city.
However, there was another enchanting moment that took place, as Dion delighted the audience at the Eiffel Tower with a moving performance of Edith Piaf’s L’Hymne a l’amour. This marked her first time performing since opening up about a significant neurological issue in December 2022.
Picture borrowed from Getty Images --- Rewrite: Picture taken from Getty Images
Celine Dion performed at her second opening ceremony since the one in Atlanta in 1996.
World Torn By Wars: A Plea For Peace
After the previous Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022, conflicts have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza.
During his speech, IOC president Bach expressed that despite the world being divided by wars and conflicts, it is because of solidarity that all athletes can gather together, bringing athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team together tonight.
In the ceremony, Paris was suddenly darkened as the opening chords of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Imagine, performed by Juliette Armanet on a floating platform, echoed through the air.
The peaceful song, featured in every Olympic opening ceremony, supports the message of coming together and accepting others that the Games promote.
The consequences of disputes are evident at the Olympics, as Russians and Belarusians have been excluded due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Only a small number of athletes from these countries will participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in Paris, and they did not walk in the parade during the opening ceremony.
The crowd roared with excitement for the athletes from the Refugee Olympic Team and the Palestine Olympic Committee, giving them some of the biggest cheers of the night.
Over 100 leaders from different countries were present, such as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Olympic officials had to say sorry because they mistakenly announced that South Korea's athletes were from North Korea.
The French and English presenters both referred to them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," which is the formal title of North Korea.
The two countries of North Korea and South Korea have been separated since the conclusion of World War Two, and tensions between them have been increasing even more in recent times.
Additionally, there was more shame when the Olympic flag was lifted with the wrong side up during a portion of the event.
Pictures seemed to indicate that the five colorful rings of the famous symbol were not in the correct spots and had been raised improperly.
Saturday Plans?
On Saturday, there are 13 gold medals up for grabs, starting with the mixed team air rifle event in shooting. You can watch the BBC's coverage of the first day starting at 06:30 BST.
The top opportunity for Great Britain to win a medal on the first day may be in diving, where Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen will compete in the women’s 3m synchro event at 10:00 BST. Another chance for a medal is in the road cycling time trials, with the women's event starting at 13:30 BST and the men’s event at 15:34 BST.
Other exciting moments to look forward to are the initial appearance of swimmer Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke heats at 10:00 BST. Also, don't miss Max Whitlock and the rest of the men's gymnastics team from GB competing in the qualifications at the same time. And lastly, keep an eye on the men's rugby sevens tournament where French supporters are counting on Antoine Dupont to lead the hosts to a gold medal in the final at 18:45.
On the first day of competition, there will be four swimming events in the pool. The most anticipated final is expected to be the women's 400m freestyle at 19:55 BST. This event will feature US star Katie Ledecky, Australian titleholder Ariarne Titmus, and Canadian record holder Summer McIntosh competing against each other.
The event will start at Versailles at 08:30 BST, with Great Britain trying to hold onto their team title. This comes shortly after the equestrian community was shocked by Charlotte Dujardin's departure from the Games and her temporary suspension following the release of a video showing her using excessive force while riding a horse.
The tennis matches are beginning at Roland Garros, with Novak Djokovic playing and the men's doubles team of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal also competing. Additionally, Great Britain's men's hockey team will begin their campaign against Spain.
The men's street skateboarding competition was supposed to happen on Saturday, but it got delayed to Monday due to the rainy weather in Paris.
Discover all the information about the schedule in our daily guide.
