French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday after a soaking wet ceremony in which athletes were cheered by the crowd along the Seine, dancers took to the roofs of Paris and Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song.
France’s three-time Olympic gold medallists Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner then lit the Olympic cauldron, suspended on a hot-air balloon, before Canada’s Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf’s “Hymn to Love”, in her first public performance in years, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.
The 30-metre (98 ft) high balloon carrying a 7-metre diameter ring of fire took to the air and was hovering dozens of metres above the ground.
It will be in the air from sunset until 2 am local time every day, organisers said.
“We are so proud of this show, I’m so proud that sport and culture were celebrated in such a fantastic manner tonight, it was a first and the result was fantastic despite the rain,” Paris 2024 organising president Tony Estanguet told reporters.
A fleet of barges took the competitors on a 6 km-stretch of the river alongside some of the French capital’s most famous landmarks, as performers recreated some of the sports to be showcased in the Games on floating platforms.
It was the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside a stadium, adding to the headaches for a vast security operation, just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France.
“I invite everybody: dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, be inspired with the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit of living in peace,” International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach said as the ceremony came to an end at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday.
As the show started four hours earlier, a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke, resembling the French flag, was sent high above a bridge over the Seine as part of a show that included many postcard-like depictions of France, including a huge cancan line performed by Moulin Rouge dancers on the banks.
A more modern image of the country was on display when French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most-listened to French female singer in the world, sang some of her biggest hits, accompanied by the French Republican Guard’s army choir.
Pakistan’s Jehanara Nabi and Arshad Nadeem travel with teammates along the Seine River in Paris, France. AP
Nakamura’s performance drew some of the ceremony’s biggest cheers. Rumours of her inclusion had sparked a row over French identity, with supporters saying she represented the vibrancy of modern-day France while her detractors said her music owes more to foreign influences than French.
While the celebration of French culture, fashion and history was warmly cheered by many of the 300,000 spectators lining the river, hundreds were seen leaving early as the rain fell.
“It was good other than the rain, it was nice, it was different, instead of being in a stadium being on the river, so that’s always a good thing – interesting, unique,” said Avid Pureval, 34, who came to the Games from Ohio.
“Once you’re wet, it’s fine,” he said. Still, he was heading back to his hotel after the French boat passed, long before the ceremony ended.
“It would have been better with sun,” said Josephine, from Paris, sitting beside her 9-year-old daughter and who paid 1,600 euros ($1,736) for her seat.
With many world leaders and VIPs present, the ceremony was protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine’s riverbed was swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace was closed.
Zinedine Zidane (left) looks on as Rafael Nadal (right) carries the Olympic flame in Paris on Friday. AFP
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