Flotilla on Seine, rain and Céline Dion mark start of Paris Olympics

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday (26 July) 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 Pérec 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 high balloon carrying a 7-metre diametre 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.

EU flag

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed the start of the Olympics, which she said celebrated “global cooperation” and “solidarity”.

During the spectacular opening ceremony putting French culture, new and old, fully on display down the river Seine, the EU flag with its 12 gold stars on a blue background appeared prominently at one point, including around the Eiffel Tower.

“Tonight we are celebrating global cooperation, solidarity, fairness and athletic perseverance. Like our European Union, the Olympics show the strength of diversity and of team spirit,” von der Leyen said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“Wishing all European athletes great success,” she added in the post that featured a picture of the Eiffel Tower with the 12 gold stars.

During the ceremony, two groups of dancers performed on a boat as the stars appeared below their feet to form the EU flag as the popular 1990s song, “Freed from Desire”, played.

“Solidarity and inclusion are sailing through the Seine for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm led by von der Leyen, in a separate social media post.

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.

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.

Pouring rain

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 Joséphine, from Paris, sitting beside her 9-year-old daughter and who paid 1,600 euros 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.

Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers were deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the ceremony. Armed police patrolled along the river in inflatable boats as the armada made its passage along the Seine.

Welcomed in Tahiti

A mix of French and international stars, including soccer great Zinedine Zidane, 14-times French Open champion Rafa Nadal, 23-times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and three paralympic athletes were among the last torchbearers before the cauldron was lit.

It will blaze until the closing ceremony on 11 August

At the start of the parade, applause erupted for the Greek boat – the first delegation, by tradition – and there were even bigger cheers for the boat that followed, carrying the refugees’ team. The French, US and Ukrainian delegations also got loud cheers.

The two most decorated athletes in the Games’ history, Michael Phelps and Martin Fourcade, unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals.

At one point, there was a live crossover to the early morning welcome ceremony at the surfing venue, 16,000 km away in the Pacific island of Tahiti.

Israel delegation

France is at its highest level of security, though officials have repeatedly said there was no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.

But since the last Games – the Winter Olympics held in Beijing in 2022 – wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense international backdrop.

Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and are given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics due to the war in Gaza, officials say.

The Israel delegation got some boos, but also a lot of cheers, as it sailed by spectators, Reuters reporters saw. Chants of “Palestine! Palestine! Palestine!” rose from the crowd as the boat passed.

Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy. But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and cast a shadow over his moment on the international stage.

(Edited by Georgi Gotev)

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