Paris Olympics: Opening ceremony showcases grandiose celebration of French culture and diversity

Thanks for following the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics with us.

The games will resume on Saturday with the first medals awarded in cycling road, diving, fencing, judo, rugby sevens, shooting, skateboarding and swimming.

From me, Sophia, Estelle and Jeremy, good night!

Céline Dion has arrived! The French-Canadian pop star followed the lighting of the Olympic cauldron by performing from the Eiffel Tower in front of the five massive Olympic rings.

Her Olympics performance marks a sensational return to performing after four years, following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis in late 2022.

Céline's rendition of Édith Piaf's "l'Hymne à l'Amour" was majestic and crystalline, a perfect conclusion to this ceremony.



A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.





French football legend Zinedine Zidane kicked off the opening ceremony with the Olympic flame in his hands.

French President Emmanuel Macron declares the Games open.

Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act.

The French delegation passed under the Austerlitz Bridge shortly after 9:15 p.m. to huge cheers from the rain-soaked crowd lining the riverbanks and watching from nearby apartment windows.

Fans chanted “Allez les Bleus, Allez les Bleus"—a famed chant for the nation’s various sports teams.

Euronews Sophia Khatsenkova reporting live from Paris

At 6-foot-9, U.S. flag bearer and NBA icon LeBron James is pretty easy to spot. And there is no shortage of Olympians trying to find him at the Paris Games.

“I want to take a picture with a few guys from tennis and the NBA— LeBron James and Steph Curry,” Angola handball player and flag bearer Azenaide Carlos said.

James was selected in a vote among Team USA’s captains.

Palestine’s entrance was met with cheers.

Like many crisis-stricken nations, the country’s delegation is small, and many of the athletes are Palestinian descendants or trained in other countries to be here.

Six athletes, including one woman, were selected to represent Palestine at the Paris Olympics, according to an official from the Palestinian Olympic Committee.

Following an impressive French national anthem performed on top of the Grand Palais, the ceremony is now paying tribute to the great women in French history like Alice Guy, Christine de Pizan and Simone Veil.

Despite the rain, the crowds are sticking it out in Parisian squares and remaining enthusiastic. Although a few soggy spectators are getting up to head home as the rain intensifies, many will not be swayed.

21-year-old Parisian Jade Smith: « We are here, it’s a moment to watch. We will put up with the rain, it didn’t cross our minds to look at the forecast before coming. There is a festive feel despite the rain, it’s a moment.

Jethro Offemaria travelled with his family from Great Britain for the Games. « I went to the London 2012 games and haven’t been to any others. I didn’t come equipped for the rain but I don't care".

French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura has now taken the stage donning a golden-plume gown following a grandiose homage to French legendary singer Charles Aznavour with a marching band of dozens of members.

Snoop Dogg, who earlier Friday ran with the torch, appeared at the ceremony with the family of Simone Biles. The US gymnast could not participate in the opening ceremony because she’s preparing to compete on Sunday.

Dogg helped carried the Olympic Torch through Paris earlier on Friday.

Dozens of female dancers have taken to the banks of the Seine for a performance inspired by Paris' famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.

U.S. first lady Jill Biden took photos from a viewpoint as the opening ceremony began. Earlier Friday, she met with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at the Elysee Palace.

She also visited with some American athletes after she got to Paris on Thursday.

Singer and actress Lady Gaga performed a cabaret number on a golden staircase beside the Seine, emerging from behind pink feathers — an act pre-recorded and then shown on the television broadcasts.

Lady Gaga sang the French song “Mon truc en plumes” (“My thing in feathers”) by Zizi Jeanmaire. She was accompanied by 10 dancers and 17 musicians — all wearing costumes from House of Dior, which is owned by a major Olympic sponsor.

Crowds have begun cheering as the first athletes are sailing down the Seine, the excitement levels are rising.

As a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke in the colours of the French flag rose over the top of Austerlitz Bridge, it drew a huge roar from the crowd gathered along the riverbanks.

Giant jets of water spurted up from the river as the Greek delegation — as always — was the first boat under the bridge and along the 6-kilometre route.

Among the 101 Greek athletes: Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo, holding the country’s flag.

Tourists gather in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. While some people are lucky enough to have bagged a seat in front of the district’s town hall, hundreds of other people are tightly packed around barriers to try and watch the screen.

Tennis legend Serena Williams spotted in Paris in a bright red dress standing out over the grey Paris sky.

As a precaution, French authorities closed the Paris airspace over a radius of approximately 150 kilometres, from 6:30 pm to midnight.

A usually congested avenue, tourists are taking advantage of the lack of cars to pose in front of one of the most iconic Parisian monuments - the Arc de Triomphe. Spot the person who took comfort to another level by bringing a chair! 

Spectators are rushing into the venue near Invalides after waiting for hours, initially told scanners at their entrance were broken.

“They were pushed through a cattle pen all through one door,” says 66-year-old Erica Chammas.

"The way we were let in was shocking. The little girl next to me was nearly trampled.”

She finished up around 5:40 pm., two hours before the ceremony, and waved to fans as she walked off with her band members.

The list of performers also includes Céline Dion, Aya Nakamura and Gojira, the first heavy metal band to ever perform at the Olympics.

Find out more here on Euronews Culture.

Journalists at outdoor workspaces have pulled tarps over their laptops to protect them from the rain. VIPs in attendance have pulled on their ponchos, and there are tons of umbrellas now deployed -- many with the Olympic rings, of course.

Forecasters say it’s only going to get worse.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed several dozen of heads of state and government at the Elysee presidential palace Friday afternoon.

Macron’s office said the Elysee reception was “an opportunity for France to deliver a message of peace and tolerance as 10,500 athletes from around the world gather to take part in the world’s biggest event.”

In central Paris, tourists are searching for spots to watch the ceremony, Estelle Nilsson Julien reports.

There is confusion in the air about where there are free live-streaming spaces to watch from.

Student Simon Charrier who lives in Paris told Euronews: "Two groups of American tourists have come up to him asking where they should go but I myself am confused!".

Dorthe, travelling from Denmark with her husband said "It’s a little difficult to work out where you need a pass to get in and where you don’t. We are thinking of going to a bar to watch the ceremony from a bar instead."

In this picture, tourists huddle around volunteers to ask where to watch the ceremony from.

At Pont au Change, an iconic bridge close to the Châtelet theatre and Notre Dame cathedral, dozens of spectators are slowly making their way to the shores of the Seine River ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

The atmosphere is subdued for now, with just a few police sirens wailing in the distance as spectators go through police screenings without complaining.

Officer Danielson from the LAPD spoke to Sophia Khatsenkova as personnel from the US, Qatar and the UK are in Paris to support local police.

“We are not feeling the tension although we know about the arson news. The public has been very supportive, we want to give the public reassurance.”

“It’s an exceptional experience and we are proud to represent our city. We’re also here to learn more about what works and what doesn’t especially for preparing for the upcoming Olympics in LA”. Los Angeles will host the games in 2028.

Danielson says the 31 officers in France for the Olympics who arrived on Thursday are staying until the end of the Games.

Parisians and tourists have been amassing on the streets since this morning. Here are some pictures of the torch-bearing at Parc de la Villette.

A spectator of the opening ceremony just sent us a picture of a ramp in the middle of the river where BMX and skateboard athletes are expected to perform tricks during the ceremony (credit: Max Azorin).

There's a big area on the banks of the Seine where athletes will board their boats.

The space in the east of Paris has room for several of the 90 boats carrying around 6,800 athletes to dock at the same time.

The parade officially begins at Austerlitz Bridge.

French TV is showing Pharrell Williams carrying the Olympic flame atop the cathedral of Saint-Denis, on the northern outskirts of Paris.

"You can feel some tension in the air", says Euronews France correspondent Sophia Khatsenkova, amid a troublesome run-up to the event.

"At Gare de Montparnasse, thousands of travellers have been stranded since this morning, after saboteurs set fire to the country's high-speed railroad tracks. Delays and cancellations are expected for the rest of the weekend."

What will the weather be like tonight? It's probably THE question that organises and spectators have been asking themselves all day. There have been a few episodes of light drizzle since this morning. 

The forecasts are not very good, predicting scattered showers over the capital from 7 pm CET onwards. Organisers told Euronews on Thursday that they have prepared for every single scenario.

The list of the flag-bearers is out for the 205 delegations parading along the Seine.

French swimmer Florent Manaudou and discus thrower will bear the flag for France.

As per tradition, Greece will be opening the line-up, headed this time by basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo and race-walker Antigoni Ntrismpioti.

https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/News/2024/07/paris-2024-flagbearers.pdf

Franck Dubourdieu, director of France's TGV high-speed rail service on the Atlantic side, the region most affected by the delays, described the disruptions as "a major disappointment for us."

"We're not up to the standards for the French people, we're not up to the standards for all of those travelling for the summer holidays, and on top of that, this is happening just before the start of the opening ceremony. It's clear that this operation was meant to be detrimental. It's very disappointing for us, and I can tell you that we're very affected by this, even morally.”

Good afternoon, this is Alessio Dell'Anna, bringing you the latest updates from Paris together with our correspondent Sophia Khatsenkova in France, as we get close to the Olympics opening ceremony.

It's been a chaotic day across France, with multiple arson attacks on the country's high-speed rail network.

The incidents have paralysed travel to Paris for around 800,000 people from across France and Europe, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening.