The ceremonies opened under overcast skies that soon gave way to steady rain.
PARIS — The artistic director for the Paris Olympic Opening Ceremonies had deliberately set the start time for the event at 7:30 p.m. local time. Such timing would allow the largest opening ceremonies in Olympic history — and the first to be held outside a stadium — to capitalize on the late evening sun, which would illuminate the stones, make the water of the Seine sparkle and create fantastic colours that could not be matched by technical lighting devices.
The sun missed the memo.
Instead, the ceremonies opened under overcast skies that soon gave way to steady rain. Volunteers handed out plastic ponchos to spectators, media and athletes while tarps were thrown over sound and lighting equipment.
In Opening Ceremonies of recent years, the event happens sequentially: The show, the march of athletes, the speeches, the lighting of the torch. In Paris, the athlete delegations moved within the show as they were boated along a six-kilometre stretch of the Seine in the pouring rain, passing a series of artistic and musical acts designed to speak to the history of France and project a bright future.
Floating from act to act would have been the perfect way to take in the show — that or watching it on TV. The estimated 300,000 people who lined the Seine or hunkered down in the open-air stadium at the base of the Eiffel Tower could view the full processions on any of 71 giant screens that lined the ceremony route, but had little live entertainment.
In keeping with Olympic tradition, the floating parade was led by Greece, whose delegation was followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and 83 other boats, some carrying multiple delegations, with countries appearing in French alphabetical order (Australia and the United States appeared at the end, right before host France, because they are the hosts for the next two Olympic Games).
Canada — with flagbearers sprinter Andre de Grasse and weightlifter Maude Charron at the helm — shared its craft with Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chile and the People’s Republic of China, a sea of smiles and waves.
The first athlete delegations disembarked and walked into the stadium under the Eiffel Tower some two hours after the boats set off, bringing their energy to a stadium that had become somewhat muted amid unrelenting rain. An hour later, the rain temporarily abated and the show arrived at the stadium, led by a mysterious figure on a silver horse who had seemingly raced across the river — a mechanical being that transformed to life bearing the Olympic flag.
Here’s what you need to know about the ceremony.
LADY GAGA AND CELINE DION BOOKEND PERFORMANCE
Lady Gaga opened the first musical act, dancing and playing piano as she covered “Mon truc en plumes” by Zizi Jeanmaire in spitting rain along the banks of the Seine on a staircase inspired by the Grand-Palais as athletes passed.
Three hours later, Quebec singing sensation Celine Dion closed out the ceremony, with a triumphant return to the stage for the first time since December 2022 when she announced she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a progressive neurological disorder that affects her muscles.
The 56-year-old performed Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” from one of the observation decks of the Eiffel Tower amid a light show.
Dion had been widely rumoured to be performing after being spotted in Paris earlier in the week.
Other performances included cabaret, a scene from the musical Les Misérables, breakdancing and a DJ set.
A FLOATING CAULDRON
The Olympic torch was delivered into the stadium by a masked figure, who had been showcased on screens throughout the program running through the city with the iconic Olympic symbol. He passed it to soccer hero Zinedine Zidane, who handed it off to tennis star Rafael Nadal, who escorted it onto a boat with athletes Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci.
Once the boat had docked, retired French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo ran the torch pass crowds along the Seine in the pouring rain, before it was passed off to several athletes who ran past the Louvre before the torch was lit in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Despite the rain, the cauldron ignited — and, topped by a massive balloon, lifted off the ground, in honour of France’s history in flight (the balloon was tethered and did not float away).
A CALL FOR INCLUSIVITY
Speaking in French, International Olympic Committee president championed the 2024 Games as younger, more inclusive, more urban, and more sustainable, pointing out that these will be the first Games with gender parity on the field of play.
He celebrated the coming together of athletes and encouraged everyone to celebrate the Olympic spirit by living life in peace.
TIGHT SECURITY
Given the openness of the event, security had been a major concern. Organizers had initially planned to welcome as many as 600,000 spectators to the event, but this was scaled down to around 300,000 earlier this year due to security and logistical concerns. A week before the ceremony began, Paris Police Prefecture set up perimeters along the parade route that required a Games Pass and QR code to pass.
Hours before the opening ceremony, high-speed rail traffic to the French capital was severely disrupted by what officials described as “criminal actions” and sabotage, but no injuries were reported.
Earlier in the day, the streets in the heard of Paris were eerily quiet as roads were blockaded, metro stations were closed and police patrolled en masse on foot, horse and by vehicle.
Source: Vancouver SUN