History floated along with the boats on river Seine on Saturday as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games were declared 'wide' open as the Opening Ceremony for the Summer showpiece took place amid rain in the French capital. (More Sports News)
The show began with the parade of nations on boats in the river with rain garnishing the ceremony every now and then. The city had been turned into a garrison with security at its peak but along the river Seine flew freedom and fun.
Apart from rain, also used for garnishing were music and dance shows including one each from pop stars Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura. After a slightly slowish middle part, the show again picked up and picked up absolutely spectacularly.
Here are all the details you need to know about the Paris Olympic Games 2024 Opening Ceremony.
History
Even before it began the 2024 Paris Opening Ceremony had history written all over it and that too in all capitals. Paris now becomes the only city apart from London to host the Olympics thrice. And with the Opening Ceremony taking place on river Seine and alongside it, Paris 2024 became the first Olympic Games to open outside a stadium.
Nation's Parade
The show opened with a bang with smoke in the French flag colours being blown up in the sky over Seine. One by one the contingents began to come out in a never-seen-before manner aboard boats with national flags held high. Greece was the first to come out and then followed others.
For the Indian contingent, fans had to wait a little. It came up with PV Sindhu and Achanta Sharath Kamal waving the Tricolour aboard a boat filled with Indian athletes and support staff. These boats took the athletes through a six-km route giving them glimpses of France's most iconic monuments and locations.
The Stars Light Up The Night
The boats were taking a break in between and the fans were being treated with some of world's biggest pop-stars music. Lady Gaga sang in French and then arrived Aya Nakamura, the most streamed French artist in history. The Minions too appeared.
Other powerful performances signifying the French culture followed.
Between all this, visuals of a secret masked person kept flashing which kept everyone guessing who was behind the veil.
Celebrating France
French cinema, culture, history all were celebrated as the Opening Ceremony. A part that stood out was the tribute to the greatest women of France.
Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Louise Michel, Christine de Pizan, Alice Guy and Simone Veil were all given a splendid tribute.
"What Better Than Paris?'
"What Better Than Paris?' asked International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach.
"What better place than Paris to share the magic of this Olympic Games with the whole world?" he questioned.
A bit earlier, the Olympic Laurel Award was presented to Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and a big supporter of the Refugee Olympic Team.
The came the moment that all were waiting for.
The Games Are On
The parades finished. The awards were given. The IOA chief had spoken, so had the French prime minister. Now it was the turn of France President Emanuel Macron to complete the formality.
In French, Macron said: “I declare the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad open!”
The words marked the official opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The official opening was followed by oaths and then came the final act: lighting up the Olympic flame.
Lighting the Olympic Flame
French football icon Zinedine Zidane appears now and is handed the torch from the masked person who had been a frequent appearance so far.
Rafael Nadal, whose love affair with Paris and its clay needs zero introduction, is the next man to take up the torch. The torch is then taken down the Seine with more legends like Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci joining Nadal.
Amélie Mauresmo, the French Open head, is handed over the torch once the boat is docked. NBA star Tony Parker is the next man with the torch.
The torch passes through 18 hands before reaching Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec who light up the giant Olympic cauldron.
The cauldron attached with a hydrogen hot-air balloon soars up into Paris sky with its flames fighting the inclement Paris weather. Just besides that is a glittering Eiffel Tower with the Olympic rings lit up on it.
The Games are on.
