This opening will go down in Olympic history as legendary
The 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off on Friday night with a ceremony that strayed from the usual stadium show, instead painting the city with bright colours. Paris, which started the day looking dull, sprang to life as night fell, not letting the non-stop rain dampen the mood. The event peaked when French soccer star Zinedine Zidane carried the Olympic torch, with crowds shouting "Zizou Zizou" in front of the lit-up Eiffel Tower. This opening will go down in Olympic history as legendary, though maybe not always for the reasons the Paris 2024 planners had in mind. Here are five main points from this unique start to the games.
The ceremony took place in tough weather but still showed off the city's beauty and culture. Boats floated down the Seine, passing important historical sites, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, decorated with Olympic rings. The acts gave a taste of Parisian culture, kicking off with a heavy metal show in the Conciergerie featuring a red-lit, headless Marie Antoinette. A fashion show by the river had a long runway stretching over the Seine, among other events. Lady Gaga brought energy to the event with her cabaret-style performance, and it all ended with a light show on the Eiffel Tower, complete with lasers cutting through the rain.
Despite heavy rain on Friday, the Paris 2024 opening ceremony turned out to be one of the wettest in recent Olympic history. The rain started about 30 minutes after the event began. Spectators on both sides of the River Seine put on ponchos and rain jackets. Umbrellas dotted the crowd. After an hour of lousy weather, many sought shelter under tents, leaving gaps along the riverside. The rain affected performances. Dancers moved carefully, musicians' instruments got soaked, and boats rocked on the Seine.
After the Eiffel Tower lit up in a dazzling light show, Celine Dion returned to the Paris 2024 opening ceremony following a four-year absence. People admired the singer, who has been fighting stiff-person syndrome, for her strength and possible recovery. This rare neuroimmune disorder affects 1 in 1 million individuals. Despite having stiff muscles and spasms from the condition, Dion managed to perform "L'Hymne à l'amour" in a flowing white gown to conclude the ceremony. Her voice echoed over the Seine as the twinkling Eiffel Tower stood in the background, marking a personal victory that left a lasting impression on the event.
Friday night's opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 event raised the stakes for Party Central with high-energy dance breaks and a techno-Europop playlist. Colourful rave outfits and performances, such as that of a blue-painted singer on a flower bed, set the tone for festivity.
The event was a genre mashup from the heavy metal band Gojira, with headless Marie Antoinette, to the stirring "La Marseillaise" sung atop the Grand Palais. John Lennon's "Imagine" was played with a burning piano on a floating stage. Then, the event closed as volunteers paraded national flags into the Trocadero and a rider on a galloping steel horse carried the Olympic flag—the Olympic opening night no one would ever forget.
The natural cherry on top was when judo star Teddy Riner and 400-metre sprinter Marie-José Pérec lit the Olympic cauldron. Suspended from a considerable balloon hovering over Paris, it offered an exquisite view of the city, thereby capturing the completeness of the inaugural ceremony.
