The 2024 Olympics opened in Paris with a breathtaking display, featuring thousands of athletes sailing along the River Seine, passing lively performers on bridges, banks, and rooftops. This unique take on an opening ceremony marked the first time a stadium was swapped for a waterway to launch the “greatest show on Earth.”
The nearly four-hour spectacle culminated with French judo legend Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-José Pérec lighting a cauldron shaped like a hot air balloon, which ascended high into the Parisian sky. The event was marked by blue, white, and red fireworks that raised the Tricolore above Austerlitz Bridge before 6,800 athletes from 205 delegations traveled on 85 boats and barges past some of Paris’s most iconic landmarks.
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Highlights of the ceremony included surprise performances, such as a cabaret number from US singer-songwriter Lady Gaga and an emotional return of Canadian icon Céline Dion. Despite major disruptions earlier in the day due to arson attacks on the French train network and heavy rain in the evening, the ceremony proceeded with athletes donning rain ponchos and umbrellas as they embarked on a lively journey through French history, art, and sport, narrated by 2,000 musicians, dancers, and artists.
The parade featured the US and France as the last two boats, with the largest numbers of athletes on board. Great Britain’s flagbearers, rower Helen Glover and diver Tom Daley, were among the notable participants. Paris is hosting the summer Games for the third time and the first time in 100 years.
Opening the 33rd summer Olympics against a challenging international and domestic political backdrop, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach emphasized the unifying power of the event, telling athletes they were now “part of an event that unites the world in peace.” More than 10,500 athletes will compete across 32 sports, with the Games concluding on August 11.
Paris Pulls Off an Olympic First
When organizers first announced plans to hold the opening ceremony along the river in the heart of the city, rather than in a stadium, there were questions about security and logistics. Concerns about the Seine’s water cleanliness and the challenge of transporting thousands of athletes along a six-kilometer stretch of river without a dress rehearsal were raised.
However, on Friday evening, backed by a massive security operation involving tens of thousands of police, Paris executed its plan in dazzling fashion. The ceremony was a mix of the bizarre and brilliant, with Lady Gaga singing in French one moment and Bangladesh’s athletes being introduced on their boat the next.
Despite the miserable weather, the storyline of the ceremony humorously reflected the challenges, such as the torchbearer not getting the memo about not being in the Stade de France and Zinedine Zidane’s metro train breaking down while transporting the torch. The flotilla passed landmarks like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, and Arc de Triomphe, accompanied by 12 artistic segments.
One segment focused on rebuilding Notre Dame, featuring dancers and music composed from sounds captured during the cathedral’s reconstruction. Another explored French history, with performances from Les Miserables and French heavy metal band Gojira. Musical acts included French-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura.
The ceremony ended at the Trocadero, with the nearby Eiffel Tower lighting up. The flame, carried by a masked torchbearer and a mechanical horse, was passed back to Zidane, who handed it to Rafael Nadal, Nadia Comaneci, Serena Williams, and Carl Lewis. The quartet carried the flame towards the Louvre, where it was handed to Riner and Pérec, who lit the 30-meter high hot air balloon cauldron.
The evening concluded with Céline Dion’s powerful rendition of Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour” at the Eiffel Tower, marking her first performance since revealing a serious neurological condition in December 2022.
Call for Peace in a World ‘Torn Apart by Wars’
In his speech, IOC President Bach addressed the global conflicts since the last Olympics, emphasizing the solidarity that brings athletes together from all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. The ceremony featured a performance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Imagine” by Juliette Armanet, reinforcing the Games’ message of unity and tolerance.
The impact of conflicts is evident at these Olympics, with Russians and Belarusians banned following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Only 15 Russian and 17 Belarusian athletes are competing as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), and they did not participate in the parade. The Refugee Olympic Team and the Palestine Olympic Committee received some of the loudest cheers of the evening.
Over 100 heads of state and government, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, were in attendance, underscoring the global significance of the Games.
