The 2024 Olympics opened in Paris with a spectacular and ambitious ceremony, featuring thousands of athletes sailing along the River Seine. This unique choice marked the first time an Olympic opening ceremony took place on a waterway instead of a stadium. As athletes floated past lively performers on bridges, banks, and rooftops, the near four-hour spectacle unfolded.
The grand event culminated with French judo star Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lighting a cauldron shaped like a hot air balloon, which ascended high into the Parisian sky. The ceremony was also highlighted by blue, white, and red fireworks that illuminated the Tricolore above the Austerlitz Bridge. A total of 6,800 athletes from 205 delegations traveled on 85 boats and barges, passing some of Paris’s most iconic landmarks.
The ceremony featured surprise performances, including a cabaret number by US singer-songwriter Lady Gaga and an emotional return by Canadian icon Celine Dion. This year’s Opening Ceremony made history by being the first to take place outside the host city’s main stadium for the Games. From the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadero, athletes assembled behind their flagbearers and cruised down a six-kilometer stretch of the River Seine on 85 boats.
Paris is hosting the Summer Olympics for the third time, having previously done so in 1900 and 1924. The Olympic torch relay was also unique, as the torch traveled in boats. During the final leg of the relay, football legend Zinedine Zidane handed the torch to Rafael Nadal. Nadal, on a boat along the Seine, then passed the torch to former tennis player Serena Williams.
Zidane, who led France to World Cup glory in 1998, and Nadal, who is likely in his final year of competition, both participated in this symbolic moment. Nadal is competing in the men’s singles category and partnering with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles. Like Zidane, Serena Williams is now a retired athlete.
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