Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rule-breaking Opening Ceremony studded with stars and fantasy, showcasing the city’s resilience as authorities dealt with suspected acts of sabotage that targeted France's high-speed rail network earlier in the day.
Widespread travel disruptions triggered by what French officials said were coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines and rainy weather in Paris had dampened the mood ahead of the ceremony.
But as global audiences tuned in, the show's spectacular launch at 7:30pm lifted spirits. A humorous short film featured soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. Plumes of French blue, white and red smoke followed. And Lady Gaga sang, in French, with dancers shaking pink plumed pompoms, adding a cabaret feel to the start of what is expected to be a more than three-hour show.
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Parade of athletes begins on the River Seine
Huge applause rang out for the Greek boat – the first one, by tradition – and even bigger cheers erupted for the boat that followed, carrying the Olympic Refugees' team.
Fountains threw jets of water in the middle of the Seine as the boats went by, with athletes waving at the crowds, amid a huge, visible police presence.
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Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with performance in French
Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony.
The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing Zizi Jeanmaire's “Mon Truc en Plumes”. She was accompanied by a troupe of eight dancers carrying pink feather fans before she moved on to the piano.
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Olympic show aims to tell the story of France and its people
The fast-moving and multi-location ceremony masterminded by acclaimed French theatre director Thomas Jolly was aimed at impressing global TV audiences as much as those who braved the weather and intense security to watch live on-site.
His task? Tell the story of France, its people, their history and essence in a way that leaves an indelible imprint on Olympic audiences, and refresh the image and self-confidence of the French capital that was repeatedly struck by deadly extremist attacks in 2015.
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Sporadic rain couldn't drown out the cheers at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
It rained harder and harder on the Opening Ceremony, and ponchos, umbrellas and tarps weren't enough to to protect the increasingly drenched – but largely enthusiastic – crowds watching the show on the banks of the choppy Seine.
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A heart in pink smoke appears over the heart of Paris
"It is now. The world is watching us. Let's open the Games in style!" French President Emmanuel Macron, who watched the ceremony in a VIP stand with other leaders, wrote on X.
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A mysterious torchbearer modelled on characters from French culture
The mysterious torchbearer that appeared in a hooded, masked costume was inspired by a number of characters from French culture: Belphégor, the Man in the Iron Mask, the titular character from “Phantom of the Opera”, Fantomas, Ezio from “Assassin's Creed” and Arsène Lupin. The torchbearer ran atop the Musee d’Orsay, dashed past the Pont Neuf bridge, rode a boat with a child holding the flame and later cartwheeled down a red runway.
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A steel horse rides across the River Seine
Hailed by the organisers as "a representation of Olympic spirit and a call for peace and solidarity", a hooded rider on an animatronic horse pelted across the River Seine as the ceremony reached its height, a flag bearing the Olympic rings fluttering behind them. The metal steed would soon give way to a flesh-and-blood white horse on the parade grounds in front of the Eiffel Tower, where the Olympic flag was raised and the Games declared open.
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The Olympic flame rises over the roofs of Paris
The Olympic cauldron was lit in the Tuileries Gardens by French athletes Marie Josée Pérec and Tony Riner after having been passed to them by a wheelchair-bound Charles Coste, the oldest living French Olympian. Coste, who is 100 years old, competed in the 1948 London Games. The cauldron then rose over Paris in a hot air balloon, recalling the first manned flight in a hydrogen-filled gas balloon by France's Montgolfier brothers in 1783.
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Céline Dion makes an emotional comeback
Canadian singer Céline Dion, who had been battling a rare illness, brought the Opening Ceremony to an emotional close by singing from the Eiffel Tower with a rousing version of Edith Piaf's "Hymn to Love".
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
