‘Weird’ Opening Ceremony features rain, boats and Celine Dion to kick off Paris games
The rainy, dramatic 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony wrapped with a performance by Céline Dion on Friday evening.
The four-hour ceremony went on despite forecasted rain and arson attacks on key rail lines into Paris delaying thousands of visitors. The ceremony featured a parade of boats down the Seine River, a faceless torch-bearer doing parkour on Parisian rooftops and headless Marie Antoinette figurines, receiving mixed reactions from viewers.
“This opening ceremony isn’t getting any better,” one user wrote on X. “An Canadian closing An Paris Olympics #OpeningCeremony too long, too weird, too much river.”
“This is the most WTF opening ceremony I have ever seen,” another viewer wrote on X.
This year’s unique opening ceremony was the first to not happen in a stadium. The athletes arrived on boats that floated down the River Seine instead, with each delegation waving flags and cheering.
As for Team USA,tennis champion Coco Gauff officially became the youngest American flag bearer in the history of the Games. Basketball champion Lebron James joins Gauff in carrying the flag for Team USA.
In addition to being the youngest American flag bearer, Gauff was also the first American tennis player to hold the honor.
Key Points
Snoop Dogg adds sizzle to Paris drizzle by carrying Olympic torch ahead of opening ceremony
Team USA swimmers reveal one ‘foul’ habit they all do in the pool: ‘That’s just how it goes’
Simone Biles, Noah Lyles and the many faces of the Paris Olympic Games
Olympics pundits and commentators for BBC and Discovery+, from Gabby Logan to Laura Woods
07:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Viewers in the United Kingdom will enjoy the insight of plenty of past Olympic greats with both Discovery+ and the BBC unveiling strong line-ups of presenters, commentators and pundits for Paris 2024.
Just like at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, every moment from the French capital will be shown live on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service with extensive television coverage on Eurosport’s television channels.
The BBC has also struck a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to continue to provide free-to-air coverage of the Games up to and including 2032.
Olympics pundits for BBC and Discovery+, from Gabby Logan to Laura Woods
Latest tests show Seine water quality was substandard when Paris mayor took a dip
07:16 , Namita Singh
Tests results released on Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorise swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicised dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.
Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E coli.
Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100ml determined by European rules on 17 June, when the mayor took a dip.
The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.
From the archive: Throwback Olympic snapshots from the 1980s and 90s
07:15 , Namita Singh
This weekend, the Olympic Games sprint into action. For 17 days, Paris is host to the world’s best athletes, presenting a perfect opportunity to dive into The Independent’s archive and indulge in some Olympic nostalgia.
At games gone by, our former chief sports photographer, David Ashdown, captured iconic images that narrate powerful stories – from record-breaking sprints to vertigo-inducing dives.
Read here:
From the archive: Throwback Olympic snapshots from the 1980s and 90s
Pitch invasions, espionage and doping scandals: Chaos at the Olympics before the Games even begin
07:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Yes, the action is finally (officially) underway today, but there has already been plenty to get stuck in to before the Olympics had even been ceremonially opened.
Pitch invasions, espionage and doping scandals: Olympic chaos before Games even begin
Simone Biles, Noah Lyles and the many faces of the Paris Olympic Games
06:30 , Jack Rathborn in Paris
The Paris Olympics is poised to deliver sporting excellence in abundance; blink and you will miss something extraordinary on the biggest stage in sport.
While records will tumble and pages in sport’s history books will be frantically rewritten across two action-packed weeks, those individuals who rise to seize the spotlight, forging memories for generations, will mostly do so by pairing their athletic prowess with a human story. This is why there is such a feverish anticipation for Simone Biles and her Olympic return.
Simone Biles, Noah Lyles and the many faces of the Paris Olympic Games
Fourteen gold medals up for grabs on Day One of Paris Games
06:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
France’s capital city is set to rock to a sporting beat on Saturday as the Olympic Games get under way in earnest on the back of an opening ceremony as dazzling as it was rainswept.
After a tumultuous Friday, which started with a pre-dawn attack by saboteurs on France’s high-speed train network, the focus now turns to gold medals and sporting excellence.
No fewer than 14 will be up for grabs as day one promises action across multiple sports: four golds in swimming, two each in cycling, fencing, and judo, and one each in diving, skateboarding, shooting, and rugby sevens.
Tomorrow at the Olympics: Saturday’s full schedule for Day 1 at Paris 2024
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is a washout
05:58 , Namita Singh
Camp, glam and undeniably kitsch, the opening ceremonies are, in a way, so different from the raw machismo and power of the sports themselves.
And yet, as Claire Balding announced at the commencement of the BBC’s coverage of the show, they are “nearly always the most watched part of an Olympic games”.
And Paris’s show – long, winding, and frequently gravely dull – gave that vast audience a new twist, writes Nick Hilton.
2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is an interminable washout - review
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
05:57 , Namita Singh
Paris 2024 always knew its idea for the opening ceremony was “crazy” but a relentless downpour on Friday evening ensured a damp start to the Olympics with many bewildered by its format.
Spectators scattered along the Seine, rather than packed into the Stade de France, meant a frustrating viewing experience too. And as Paris 2024 meandered through 12 tableaux of this floating parade, president Emmanuel Macron’s words proved rather prescient.
Clearly craving an idyllic sunset and starlit sky in the City of Light alongside its River Seine backdrop, Paris left many wondering why it swerved from the conventional format.
More in this report from Jack Rathborn:
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
Olympic flag raised upside down at end of rain-soaked opening ceremony
05:42 , Namita Singh
The Olympic flag was raised upside down in an embarrassing moment at the very start of Paris 2024, following a spectacular, rain-soaked opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Images of the Olympic flag appeared to show that the five coloured rings of the iconic emblem were in the wrong positions and had been hoisted incorrectly.
The opening ceremony was a three-and-a-half hour spectacle on the River Seine, which saw 85 boats carry almost 7,000 athletes from 205 countries.
Jamie Braidwood reports from Paris:
Olympic flag raised upside down at end of rain-soaked opening ceremony
Olympics opening ceremony saw no major reported issues, French official says
05:36 , Namita Singh
France’s interior minister praised security forces after no major issues were reported Friday during the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Authorities had deployed a massive security operation in Paris to keep the event safe. The capital’s streets were blocked off, with squadrons of police patrolling and imposing metal-fence security barriers erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine. Up to 45,000 police and gendarmes as well as 10,000 soldiers have been deployed for Olympic security.
“We did it,” French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on the social platform X, praising an “event without incident.”
“After four years of intense work to prepare for the world’s biggest sport event, we have never been prouder of our security forces,” he tweeted.
Paris police tweeted “plan A” with a video of river officers watching the sparkling Eiffel Tower, in a reference to previous comments by French president Emmanuel Macron acknowledging plans could be revisited for security reasons if needed.
All Parisian bridges were closed to both vehicles and pedestrians as a vast anti-terrorism perimeter along the banks of the river sealed off a kilometers-long (miles-long) area to those without tickets for the ceremony.
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
05:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Paris 2024 always knew its idea for the opening ceremony was “crazy” but a relentless downpour on Friday evening ensured a damp start to the Olympics with many bewildered by its format.
Spectators scattered along the Seine, rather than packed into the Stade de France, meant a frustrating viewing experience too. And as Paris 2024 meandered through 12 tableaux of this floating parade, President Emmanuel Macron’s words proved rather prescient.
Clearly craving an idyllic sunset and starlit sky in the City of Light alongside its River Seine backdrop, Paris left many wondering why it swerved from the conventional format.
“It seemed to be a crazy and not very serious idea,” Macron remarked on Monday. “But we decided it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea and make it real.”
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
For Ukrainian athletes, joy mixes with sorrow at the Paris Olympics
05:05 , Namita Singh
For Ukrainian competitors in Paris for the Olympics, joy goes hand in hand with sorrow. Athletes are striving to enjoy the dream of competing at one of the world’s most prestigious sports events while carrying the burden of the war back home.
“When we read news, we feel very upset,” said Polina Buhrova, a 20-year-old badminton player at her first Games. “But it’s also our power and our possibility to show how strong we are that we are here, that we are going to fight until the end.”
The living accommodations for athletes from around the world are adorned with flags and slogans at the Olympic village. The Ukrainian house features children’s drawings with messages like: “The resilient do not give up and strive for victory” and “Glory to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” These drawings, a tradition to support Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline, have extended to cheering for their athletes.
“It warms my heart,” said fencer Olga Kharlan, smiling at the drawings. She added, “We want to finish this season successfully because we are doing it for our country.”
Kharlan had a unique route to the Paris Games. She was drawn against Russian fencer Anna Smirnova at last year’s world championships. Smirnova protested after Kharlan refused to shake her hand, and the Ukrainian was disqualified. The International Olympic Committee awarded Kharlan a spot in Paris anyway.
The fencer said preparing for the Games this year was challenging — not just the grueling routine typical for an Olympic athlete but because she had to train abroad due to Russia’s war and had not seen her family in a long time.
But she is determined, saying her showing goes far beyond any sports arena.
“We fight and perform for those who, unfortunately, cannot come here because they were killed by Russia,” she said. “This is dedicated to them and to all our defenders.”
This year, Ukraine will be represented by the smallest number of athletes in its history of participation in the Summer Games, with 140 competitors in 26 sports. The most are in athletics, at 25, while there’s just the one — Buhrova — in badminton. The war deeply and negatively affected Ukraine’s sports industry.
Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures
05:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The Paris 2024 Olympics began with a groundbreaking – and rain-soaked – opening ceremony, the first to be staged outside a stadium.
Here’s a look at some of the best snaps from a night that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in pictures
Drums and dance open Tahiti’s Olympic surfing extravaganza
04:50 , Namita Singh
Tahiti welcomed the 2024 Olympic surfing event on Friday with blazing sunshine, songs and Polynesian culture honouring the sport’s ancient roots, a world away from the rain of the Games’ opening ceremony in Paris.
At a beachside park 40km from the surfing venue of Teahupo’o, surfers poured sand from their home beaches into a communal vessel, combining the different colours and textures to symbolise unity and respect for the ocean.
“It was nice, definitely, very different to Paris,” said Ramzi Boukhiam, who is representing Morocco in his second Olympic Games after the sport’s debut in Tokyo.
“We’re like 16,000 km away but we’re in paradise and it was nice to see all the athletes, all the countries.”
Joining the Paris opening would have been fun but was not possible given the distance, he said.
“Of course it would have been nice because you would be there with the whole nation, all Morocco, all the athletes, but the main goal is to win the contest and do that you have to come here early and get ready,” Boukhiam said.
Katie Ledecky: Team USA swimmer seeks more history at Olympics 2024
04:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Katie Ledecky gets her bid for yet more precious metal for the mantelpiece going on the opening day of swimming action at Paris 2024, with the American eyeing a 400m freestyle shootout with Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh in what could be one of the races of the Games.
Katie Ledecky: Team USA swimmer seeks more history at Olympics 2024
Surfing’s Olympic ringmaster Aguerre readies for the next wave
04:27 , Namita Singh
Fernando Aguerre says that when he was first elected president of the International Surfing Association in 1994, the organisation consisted of a cardboard box and a cheque.
Thirty years on, the Argentine is now making preparations to pass the torch to a new leader, having built the ISA into a body representing 116 countries and achieving the improbable goal of taking surfing to the Olympics.
“When I got (elected) it was literally a cardboard box like this, with papers and a $5,000 cheque, so I was like, ‘I can’t go wrong, because ... I’m already at ground zero!’” Aguerre told Reuters.
Having sold the footwear company he set up with his brother for a sum reported to be in the region of $100m, Aguerre works pro bono.
“I don’t make money - I’m free, so I’m a good deal,” he laughed when asked about stepping down.
“I pushed for a new bylaw in the constitution that will preclude me from running after 2026, so 2026 will be my last - in the current constitution I won’t be able to run after that.
“Two or three” succession plans are in place but Aguerre hopes to retain some kind of role.
“I think it’s better I take more of a head advisor or, like I like to call myself, head cheerleader,” he added.
“I enjoy sitting down with people like this, kind of passing the spiritual and cultural torch of the sport.
“So I might make it to (the) Brisbane (Olympics), maybe. Maybe the sharks will take me before that.”
South Korea expresses regret after its athletes introduced as North Korean at opening ceremony
04:17 , Namita Singh
South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organisers the mistake will not happen again.
As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.
The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.
South Korea’s vice minister for sports and culture, Jang Mi-ran, who was in Paris, had requested a meeting with International Olympics Committee president Thomas Bach, the ministry said in a statement.
“We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering,” it said.
Who is Florent Manaudou? France’s flagbearer seeks swimming success at Olympics 2024
04:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
It is a mark of the standing in which Florent Manaudou is held that the veteran swimmer was selected as the first man to carry the Olympic torch when it arrived on French soil in May. The 33-year-old is again the figurehead of home hopes in the pool, even with Leon Marchand’s emergence as a potential multi-stroke successor to Michael Phelps.
Who is Florent Manaudou? France’s flagbearer seeks swimming success at Olympics 2024
Faceless torch bearers and Marie Antoinette: No one knows what to make of Paris’ 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
03:45 , Jack Rathborn
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have officially commenced, and they’ve kicked off with what many are calling the most unique - and bizarre - opening ceremony.
On Friday, July 26, the thousands of Olympians competing in the games made their way to the heart of Paris, where they rode down the River Seine in boats manned by their respective countries.
But the boat procession wasn’t the only one-of-a-kind moment from this year’s opening ceremony, as the celebration was full of surprising moments, from headless Marie Antoinette figurines to faceless torch-bearers.
The rainy weather, which resulted in many athletes and attendees wearing plastic rain ponchos, only added to the overall mood of the ceremony, prompting many viewers watching at home to comment on the unconventional festivities.
Faceless torch bearers and Marie Antoinette: Paris’ 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
Olympic organisers warn US anti-doping to back Wada or risk losing LA Games
03:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The row between Wada and Usada escalated this week with figures on both sides producing punchy comments.
Olympic organisers warn US anti-doping to back Wada or risk losing LA Games
The Chinese swimming doping scandal casting doubt at the Paris Olympics
03:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
One story has been the hot topic ahead of the swimming action at Paris 2024 - and it’s not anyone’s exploits in the pool. Jack Rathborn explains the doping scandal casting a shadow over these Olympics.
The Chinese swimming doping scandal casting doubt at Paris Olympics
Tom Daley’s secret signal to young sons during Olympics opening ceremony
02:45 , Jack Rathborn
Tom Daley gave a secret signal to his young children during the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday, 26 July.
The gold medallist, 30, and his husband, Dustin Lance Black, 50, have two sons.
Daley was a flagbearer on Great Britain‘s boat alongside rower Helen Glover.
He was seen smiling and making half a heart with his hands as the team travelled down the River Seine.
Later, Daley posted on Instagram describing the honour he felt carrying the flag - and revealed why he made the gesture.
Tom Daley’s secret signal to young sons during Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Olympics swimming schedule: Every event, date and start time at Paris 2024
02:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The Olympics are underway at Paris 2024 and many of the early medals will be won in the pool as the swimming events begin.
Swimming is one of the most watched sports at the Olympics and its finals are often prime-time viewing in the opening days of the Games, as big names clash again and again across several fiercely competitive events.
Olympics swimming schedule: Every event and start time at Paris 2024
Adam Peaty: British swimmer bids for third successive Olympics title after challenging period
02:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Adam Peaty enters his third Olympics bidding to do match the achievements of Michael Phelps as the only male swimmer to win three successive gold medals in the same event.
The mere fact that Peaty is in contention to match one of the achievements of perhaps the greatest Olympian of all time shows both his exceptional ability and remarkable longevity, both of which have contributed to him becoming recognised as the greatest men’s breaststroke swimmer in history.
Adam Peaty bids for third Olympics title after challenging period
Matt Richards: Swimming is different, it’s a life-saving skill
01:30 , Jack Rathborn in Paris
Matt Richards senses his time is now. The 21-year-old gives an enthusiastic nod when pointing out how nine intense days could change his life and propel him towards superstardom. The 21-year-old is poised to become one of British swimming’s standout performers at the Paris Olympics.
Despite already being an Olympic champion, after delivering a storming third leg in the 4x200m freestyle in Tokyo, Richards is desperate to taste individual glory.
Matt Richards: Swimming is different, it’s a life-saving skill
2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony review: Interminable Seine procession is a washout
01:15 , Jack Rathborn
Camp, glam and undeniably kitsch, the opening ceremonies are, in a way, so different from the raw machismo and power of the sports themselves. And yet, as Claire Balding announced at the commencement of the BBC’s coverage of the show, they are “nearly always the most watched part of an Olympic games.” And Paris’s show – long, winding, and frequently gravely dull – gave that vast audience a new twist.
There is a sense of one-upmanship inherent in the Olympic ceremonies, which peaked over the 2008 and 2012 games. Beijing’s curtain-raiser – considered one of the greatest theatrical spectacles ever mounted – was a $100m propaganda extravaganza. It was followed, in 2012, by a Danny Boyle-directed schmaltz-fest, Isles of Wonder, within Stratford’s Olympic stadium. But Rio, in 2016, couldn’t match the sheer scale of these performances, and the less said about the damp squib Tokyo Olympics the better. Could Paris restore some pride to proceedings?
Thomas Jolly, the actor and theatre director given the reins as Artistic Director of the ceremony, called tonight’s show an opportunity to “illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by [Paris’s] history”. The centrepiece of events was – for the first time – not a stadium associated with the games, but the magnificent Seine, the river which snakes through the French capital. It has been noted that the word “Seine” is a near-perfect homophone for the French word “scène”, meaning, fittingly, “stage”.
2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is an interminable washout - review
Who is Leon Marchand? Meet the French swimmer aiming to become the face of the Olympics
01:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Leon Marchand arrives at Paris 2024 with the most pressure of any swimmer, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of Michael Phelps to become the face of his home Olympics.
Coached by Phelps’s former mentor Bob Bowman, Marchand broke the final world record of the most successful Olympian ever last summer and will now look to claim a first Olympic title at the age of 22.
Why a French swimmer could become the face of Paris 2024
Lady Gaga: Performance at Olympics opening ceremony was ‘supreme honour’
00:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
American singer Lady Gaga has said it was her “supreme honour” to perform at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
The 38-year-old surprised viewers by singing in French during her performance on Friday evening, which saw her deliver a burlesque take on the French classic Mon Truc En Plume.
Lady Gaga: Performance at Olympics opening ceremony was ‘supreme honour’
Team GB parade through rain-soaked Paris for 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony
00:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Tomorrow at the Olympics: Saturday’s full schedule for Day 1 and first medal events at Paris 2024
23:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Saturday brings the first full day of Olympics competition, with a huge programme of events set to take place across Paris.
Tomorrow at the Olympics: Saturday’s full schedule for Day 1 at Paris 2024
Saboteurs launch ‘malicious’ arson attack on France’s rail networks hours before Paris Olympics
23:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Saboteurs launched a “malicious” arson attack on France’s rail networks in “an effort to destabilise” the country just hours before the start of the Paris Olympic Games.
Up to 800,000 passengers are facing travel chaos attempting to reach Paris this weekend after high-speed rail services to the French capital were hit by what officials described as “criminal actions” ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.
Saboteurs launch ‘malicious’ arson attack on France’s rail networks before Olympics
Who were the masked torchbearer and horse rider at the Olympics opening ceremony?
23:20 , Jamie Braidwood in Paris
Two masked figures featured in the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, first as a torchbearer ran across rooftops before a caped rider galloped down the Seine on a metal horse to deliver the Olympic flag.
The rider, Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie Nationale clad in silver armour, concluded her ride at the Trocadero, giving the Olympic flag a majestic entrance before it was hoisted.
Earlier, a mysterious figure wearing a black cloak, white hood, and with their face covered by a dark fencing mask, was heavily featured in the three-hour ceremony produced by director Thomas Jolly, and which included appearances from Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane and, for some reason, The Minions.
Who were the masked torchbearer and horse rider at the Olympics opening ceremony?
Flaming balloon cauldron marks start of 2024 Olympic Games
23:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Olympic flag raised upside down at end of rain-soaked opening ceremony
22:55 , Jamie Braidwood in Paris
The Olympic flag appeared to have been raised upside down in an embarrassing moment at the very start of Paris 2024 at the end of a spectacular rain-soaked opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Olympic flag raised upside down at end of rain-soaked opening ceremony
Faceless torch bearers and Marie Antoinette: No one knows what to make of Paris’ 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
22:45 , The Independent
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have officially commenced, and they’ve kicked off with what many are calling the most unique - and bizarre - opening ceremony.
Faceless torch bearers and Marie Antoinette: Paris’ 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
22:37 , Jack Rathborn in Paris
Paris 2024 always knew its idea for the opening ceremony was “crazy” but a relentless downpour on Friday evening ensured a damp start to the Olympics with many bewildered by its format.
Spectators scattered along the Seine, rather than packed into the Stade de France, meant a frustrating viewing experience too. And as Paris 2024 meandered through 12 tableaux of this floating parade, President Emmanuel Macron’s words proved rather prescient.
Clearly craving an idyllic sunset and starlit sky in the City of Light alongside its River Seine backdrop, Paris left many wondering why it swerved from the conventional format.
“It seemed to be a crazy and not very serious idea,” Macron remarked on Monday. “But we decided it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea and make it real.”
Paris embraces its ‘crazy’ idea to deliver Olympics opening ceremony like no other
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Spellbinding. Celine Dion closes the opening ceremony in style.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And it gets better - standing on the middle tier of the Eiffel Tower is Celine Dion, performing for the first time in two years after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A first look at the Olympic cauldron, and it’s a beaut - a ring of flames seven metres in diameter, topped by a 30 metre high and 22 metre in diameter hot-air balloon.
Three-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, winner of three golds on the track at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, will light the cauldron. They provide the flame and it takes off, rising in to the Parisian night to the sound of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour”. Not everything has hit the mark tonight, but that’s a beautiful ending.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Out of the Louvre and down towards the lovely Tuileries Gardens, which separate the museum and the Place de la Concorde. They are a lovely place on a sunny afternoon; rather less so on a damp, dreary, deserted night.
Still, the array of torchbearers light it up as they carry the flame along.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle
NBA great Tony Parker takes the torch from Amelie Mauresmo, the San Antonio Spurs legend having inspired so many of the French basketballers hoping to upset the United States for gold in the men’s competition at these Olympics.
There’s the glass pyramid - we are on the grounds of the Louvre.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Waiting on the bank...Amelie Mauresmo. Tennis is doing rather well out of this opening ceremony.
The two-time grand slam champion carries it past the waving hordes.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:09 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Cerrone’s Supernature is the soundtrack to the boat’s journey along the Seine, the quartet seemingly bound for the Louvre.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, 48 years on from recording a perfect 10, is next to pick up the baton, with great American athlete Carl Lewis on the anchor leg as Paris 2024 showcases some global sporting stars.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
22:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Nadal is whisked on to a boat, safety first as he dons a life jacket. It’s travelling at some speed, enough to get Nadal fretting that the flame might go out.
Luckily, Serena Williams is on hand to help him out, one great tennis player passing the torch to another.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:59 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Zinedine Zidane re-takes the Olympic torch from the masked torchbearer, handing it over to Rafael Nadal, his place as the undisputed king of the Paris clay at Roland Garros earning the Spaniard involvement.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:58 , Jack Rathborn
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Thomas Bach: “In a world torn apart by wars and conflict, it is thanks to solidarity that we can all come together tonight. We unite the athletes from all 206 national Olympic committees and the Refugee Olympic Team. Welcome the best athletes in the world, welcome Olympians. Long live the Olympic Games, and long live France.”
And with that, French president Emmanuel Macron declares the Olympic Games open!
Tomorrow at the Olympics: Saturday’s full schedule for Day 1 and first medal events at Paris 2024
21:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Saturday brings the first full day of Olympics competition, with a huge programme of events set to take place across Paris.
Here’s a look at the full schedule tomorrow:
Tomorrow at the Olympics: Saturday’s full schedule for Day 1 at Paris 2024
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:46 , Harry Latham-Coyle
“Welcome to Paris, welcome to your moment in history,” Tony Estanguet continues. “Live it, love it and carry it with you. The world is on your side. A special word for the Tricolor, the French team. 68 million French people will get behind you. A whole country will hold its breath when you take your place on the start line. If you cry with joy, the whole of France will cry with you.”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organising committee, and Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, have a couple of volunteers on hand with umbrellas as they play the hits with the traditional platitudes and pleas of the opening ceremony speeches.
“Welcome to Paris,” Estanguet says. “It is a huge honour to welcome you here, 100 years after we last hosted the Summer Games. There is a big love story between France and the Olympics. To love the Games is to court the Games for 100 years for the chance to bring them back to Paris.
“Thank you for giving France this unique opportunity and always being on our side. This evening, we can all be proud of what we have already achieved together. I’d like to thank the athletes. Even if the Games cannot solve every problem, and conflicts are not just going to disappear, tonight you have reminded us how beautiful humanity is when we come together.”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:35 , Jack Rathborn
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The Radio France Choir deliver the Olympic anthem as the flag is raised, the ceremony finally having settled in the Trocadero.
21:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:29 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The rain has, thankfully, relented, making a potentially precarious prance up some steps rather more straightforward for the rider, climbing off the horse to take the stairs. The woman clad in armour is Floriane Issert, a Gendarmerie non- commissioned officer, I am reliably informed.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Magic! The horse and rider have come to life thanks to a totally seamless smash cut! Faultless.
Anyway, a beautifuly white horse trots down the Trocadero, the world flags massing around the Olympic flag as it leads the way.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The Eiffel Tower does look magnificent, lit up in the Paris night with the Olympic rings in its midriff. Still the horsewoman gallops, though at a pace to surely leave her out of the medal running.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:22 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The animatronic equine makes graceful progress along the water, the Olympic rings draped on the rider’s back.
Aha - we’ve finally made it to the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero. This looks a bit more traditional, the flags of the competing nations being brought out as clips from past Games play. A needed dose of normality, quite frankly.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle
That singing of Imagine is followed by a call for peace and solidarity, represented by a horsewoman galloping along the surface of the Seine. It’s avant garde, I’ll give them that.
From the official pamplet on this tableau: “The representation of the Olympic spirit and of Sequana, goddess of the river and symbol of resistance, she draws us into her wake and invites the whole world to unite around the values of Olympism.”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:09 , Jamie Braidwood
Good news folks we still have more than an hour to go, and up next in the performance of the opening ceremony is darkness:
“Night has fallen over Paris. Caught up in the turmoil of the evils afflicting the world, these young people ‘dance on a volcano’ at the opening of a sequence that sounds like a metaphorical parenthesis. The peace anthem, Imagine by John Lennon and Yoko Ono resounds through the Parisian night, like a call for reconciliation and harmony sent out to the world around the values of unity and tolerance conveyed by the Olympic Games and sport.
“To give life to this anthem which is part of the protocol, Thomas Jolly has chosen to work with two French artists, Sofiane Pamart and Juliette Armanet. The set design, which depicts a raft adrift, and the costumes by Clara Daguin invite us to reflect on a world between darkness and light.”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
21:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Through the Eurodance classics we cycle like a DJ at a not particularly adventurous discotheque. The “playful but lucid” performance proves to be a scantily-clad, blue-painted Philippe Katerine, the quirky French singer-songwriter supposedly embodying the spirt of Dionysus. Not really getting that, to be completely honest - more Papa Smurf, I’d suggest.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:59 , Jamie Braidwood
Back to the performances.
“This eighth tableau concludes the parade: the last delegations are presented, followed by ‘France’ a boat whose arrival marks the start of the festivities.
“The festivities are in full swing with a banquet showcasing French fashion and young creation, as well as a variety of cultures and dances from around the world. The Games are finally here, and we're having fun and dancing in the biggest club in France, carried away by Barbara Butch. With this evocation of French youth, as well as that of the whole of Europe, Thomas Jolly reminds us that ‘our diversity and our uniqueness are our strengths in uniting.
“But celebrating doesn't stop us from remaining aware of the issuesfacing our planet.’ The playful but lucid final performance serves as a reminder”.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And finally, as is tradition, the hosts, France having bagged the biggest boat for themselves. Could this be a golden Games for the host nation? They’ve got stars in swimming, sevens, basketball and pretty much everywhere else. Discus thrower Mélina Robert-Michon and swimmer Florent Manaudou are their flagbearers.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Look out Paris - the United States are here. It’s a mighty schooner provided to the American team, who have piled on. LeBron James and Coco Gauff throw the Star Spangled Banner left and right.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Zambia’s contingent at this Games is relatively large compared to their international sporting reputation, though their party on the boat is rather limited by the absence of the Copper Queens, their women’s footballers otherwise engaged in pool play.
Australia are afforded the third slot from last as the hosts of the Summer Olympics after next.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:48 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Tuvalu, the least populous nation at these Olympics, soak up the atmosphere (and the precipitation) as Ukraine get a great reception behind them.
Ukraine athlete wants Paris 2024 to serve as reminder of struggle
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:44 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The tautological charms of Timor-Leste, translating to “East East”, on a boat alogside Togo and Tonga. No Pita Taufatofua this time for the Pacific Island nation, though I suspect he’d have kept his shirt on had he made it with conditions in Paris properly nasty.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Not the most impressive outfits on show in the Swiss ranks. At least their flag is a big plus.
Tajikistan, Chinese Taipei, Tanzania and Chad are all packed together on the same boat, the two African nations with limited representation at these Games.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:36 , Harry Latham-Coyle
As we hastily progress towards the end of the alphabet, an array of catwalk models have been putting on a brave face as they try and go about vogue-ing in what can only be described as biblical rain on the Debilly Footbridge. It is, officially, not nice in Paris.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:32 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Romania have a husband and wife pair as their flagbearers, Marius and Ionela Cozmiuc both world champions but seeking a first Olympic gold in rowing. Marius won coxless pair silver in Tokyo.
Now, we would normally expect to find Russia at this point. Here’s why they, and Belarus, aren’t part of the opening ceremony:
Why are Russia and Belarus banned from the Paris Olympics?
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:29 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The Netherlands are out of place in the Ps, Pays-Bas in French leaving them parting Paraguay and Peru. King Willem-Alexander has a little jig up in the posh seats to the delight of his compatriots on the boat below.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:28 , Jamie Braidwood
Meanwhile, in Tahiti... the Olympics opening ceremony is underway in rather different weather!
We all want to be in Tahiti don’t we. You can find out why part of the Olympics is taking place 10,000 miles from the host city, here.
Lady Gaga: Performance at Olympics opening ceremony was ‘supreme honour’
20:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle
American singer Lady Gaga has said it was her “supreme honour” to perform at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
The 38-year-old surprised viewers by singing in French during her performance on Friday evening, which saw her deliver a burlesque take on the French classic Mon Truc En Plume.
On X, formerly Twitter, she said: “I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year.
“I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organising committee to sing such a special French song—a song to honour the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre.
Lady Gaga: Performance at Olympics opening ceremony was ‘supreme honour’
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Nigeria, New Zealand and Norway complete the N nations. Speaking of Norway, have you listened to the Ingebrigtsen brothers’ pre-Olympics hype song? The first family of Norwegian athletics have talent away from the track, too...
Ingebrigtsen brothers release song on eve of Olympic Games – and it’s catchy
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Mongolia’s representatives are clad in traditional dress - 20 hours it took to embroider their frocks. An impressive effort for what ultimately amounts to about ten seconds of screen time.
Mozambique also have fresh threads, jackets forged from the colours of their flags.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony - What is happening?
20:16 , Jamie Braidwood
Sisterhood
“This sequence features the flag and National Anthem of France. Original staging gives this ceremonial moment added drama. Performed by Axelle Saint-Cirel, the Choeur and the Maîtrise de Radio France The Marseillaise is re-orchestrated for the occasion by Victor le Masne, composer and Music Director of the Ceremonies.
“It resounds with power and emotion in the skies over Paris. ‘The French National Anthem becomes a symbol of unification and a call to pay tribute to the women of France's history, represented by 10 golden statues emerging from the Seine’ says Thomas Jolly.”
Sportsmanship
“The journey through France's history continues in this next sequence, showcasing its relationship with modern sports. The delegations pass between floating platforms resembling French formal gardens, where a live show celebrates urban sports, some of which are a special feature of the programme of the Paris 2024 Games.
“Thomas Jolly offers us an experience designed to enrich our imaginations and help us reappropriate immutable figures of France through disciplines that are rooted in their times. In his desire to share the splendour of Versailles with everyone and to combine historical classicism with urban modernity, Thomas Jolly decided to invite Jakub Józef Orliński, who is both a breaker and an opera singer.”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:12 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Malawi and the Maldives have eight athletes between them, but get a plum place behind the Malaysian contingent on one of the mid-sized watercrafts.
Morocco are on the next vessel, their men’s football team having upset Argentina after that extraordinary finish on Wednesday.
Who is the masked torchbearer causing chaos at the Olympics opening ceremony?
20:08 , Jamie Braidwood
A masked torchbearer repeatedly popped up during the Olympics opening ceremony, running across rooftops in Paris as heavy rain fell on the boat parade on the River Seine.
The mysterious figure, wearing a black cloak, white hood, and with their face covered by a dark fencing mask, was heavily featured in the three-hour ceremony produced by director Thomas Jolly, and which included appearances from Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane and, for some reason, The Minions.
The spectacle saw 85 boats carry almost 7,000 athletes from 205 countries down the River Seine, which came just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed rail networks caused travel chaos across France.
Who is the masked torchbearer causing chaos at the Olympics opening ceremony?
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle
We are properly rattling through now: Laos, Lesotho, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya. Liechtenstein’s Romano Puentener waves the flag enthusiastically - he’ll go in the men’s mountain bike cross country against Tom Pidcock and co. next week.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
20:04 , Harry Latham-Coyle
There is unsurprisingly an athlete carrying Kenya’s flag, though Ferdinand Omanyala excels over 100 metres rather than the longer distances in which the east African nation normally dominates. Volleyball player Trizah Atuka is his company grasping the flagpole.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel provides an enchanting rendition of La Marseillaise, celebrating the contribution of women in the tableau entitled: Sisterhood.
Famous French female figures are cast in gold, riding up out of their podiums as a rather more haunting version of the national anthem plays.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A dive into the Musée d’Orsay is an excuse to look at some of France’s best cultural contributions, and Despicable Me‘s minions. It is, inexplicably, the little yellow cartoons that get an extended look.
Out of the minions video we transition into the Mona Lisa. Two remarkable bits of art presented together - It’s what Da Vinci would have wanted.
Team GB arrive in rain-soaked Paris for 2024 Olympic Games
19:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Ireland have their biggest contingent ever at an Olympics, 100 years on from their first - golfer Shane Lowry and hurdler Sarah Lavin carry their flag.
Italy and Jamaica are side by side, each enjoying the Paris party in their own way.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Out come India, the second largest country in the world but not one with a noted Olympic record. Could that be about to change, though?
Who is Neeraj Chopra? India’s javelin champion defends Olympics title
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Through the Guineas we go, -Bissau and Equatorial following the Naby Keita and Fatoumata Sylla-led crew.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Here come Team GB, the 327 athletes fielded by Great Britain in Paris represented by a good group. Tom Daley and Helen Glover, both Olympic veterans inspired back for one more ride by their children, carry their flag.
Paris Olympics 2024: Team GB announce flagbearers for opening ceremony
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:36 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Biniam Girmay, fresh from his Tour de France heroics, is one of the Eritrean flagbearers. It’s also been an excellent summer of sport for Spain with a Euro 2024 triumph and Carlos Alcaraz’s exploits on the court - can a few of their Olympians continue the winning run?
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:34 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Djibouti deserve some kudos for having prepped a routine of sorts, lifting their flags above their heads in unison before dropping them down again. The synchronicity soon goes, but a lovely thought.
It’s properly miserable - Jack Rathborn, our man in Paris, has abandoned the open area and is heading for the safe embrace of the media room. “It’s as heavy as it has been,” he bravely reports as he goes in search of a towel and a hairdryer.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle
That shouldn’t overly concern the two coasts: Costa Rica and Cote d’Ivoire both get strong receptions, the latter nation particularly so.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Right, onwards we go with the parade of nations, Cyprus and Comoros providing island bookends to the Colombian squad in the middle of their barge.
The Republic of Congo have only four athletes at the Games, and all seem to have made it to the opening ceremony, crowding on to a small boat as the two-stroke motor churns behind them. It is absolutely thumping it down now, drenching the Cook Islands’ two athletes (athlete Alex Beddoes; swimmer Lanihei Connolly).
Headless Marie Antoinettes line banks of Seine during Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle
And here is the modern day master of chanson francaise, Aya Nakamura the most listened to French-language artist in the world. Born in Mali, raised in the Paris suburbs, there has been a bit of noise around Nakamura’s participation in this opening ceremony among the French far right, but she really puts on a show, re-interpreting Aznavour’s music beautifully.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle
A spot of Charles Aznavour, now, as the organisers work through their French musical icons. Formidable!
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle
On to liberte, the third tableau, with a rocking rendition of revolutionary song Ah, ça ira delivered by Gojira before Marina Viotti delightfully delivers L'amour est un oiseau rebelle from Bizet’s Carmen. It all does look rather damp.
Paris Olympics opening ceremony: Liberty
19:18 , Jamie Braidwood
“The people remain at the heart of this sequence, which highlights their thirst for liberty. We first plunge into the rebellious Paris of Les Misérables and the French Revolution. The liberation of the people is followed by the liberation of the body and of love, with a choreography by Rachid Ouramdane and Compagny XY on the mythical Pont-Neuf Bridge, redrawing the contours of a city imbued with romance, mystery and desire, enhanced by the costumes of Charles de Vilmorin.
“For this tableau, Thomas Jolly has chosen Marina Viotti, an exceptional singer who, with her ability to switch from heavy metal to opera, acts as a bridge between two revolutions. Political and personal emancipation intersect and respond to each other in this daring sequence,which reminds us that ‘the freedom to love is no less sacred than the freedom to think’ (Victor Hugo).”
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The brollies are up on the banks as the famous Notre Dame bells sound, thankfull having survived that ghastly fire in 2019. When I was in Paris last year, they were hard at work trying to get the old cathedral restored to something resembling former glories, and they really have done a great job
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:12 , Harry Latham-Coyle
On to the second of the night’s tableaux, entitled synchronicite. 500 dancers are on hand around the Pont Neuf for what the organisers hope will put French craftspeople in the limelight: sculptors, carpenters, joiners, etc.
“The whole of Paris is synchronising to welcome the Games,” they say. “In this tableau, Thomas Jolly highlights the know-how of French craftsmanship in a choregraphy by Maud Le Pladec and an original score by Victor le Masne composed using the sounds of the workers. This golden interlude pays tribute to the prestige of the host city and to the people of Paris, who are in sync.”
Heat, rats and sewage in Seine: Paris battles a host of problems before 2024 Olympics
Paris Olympics opening ceremony
19:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle
The can-can gets a techno remix as some dancers from the Moulin Rouge make the best of the conditions. There have been 200 rehearsal days for the opening ceremony, though not an official run-through en masse, with a few clunks apparent so far, as might be expected with such a large-scale event.
Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website
