A bit later, the Olympic flame was lit beneath a scorching air balloon that might be launched over Paris through the Video games, earlier than singing star Céline Dion ended the night by singing Edith Piaf’s tune “L ‘Hymne à l’Amour’ from the Eiffel Tower.
The athletes who braved the climate sailed six kilometers on the river Seine because the rain poured down on town of the world, accompanied by wonderful cultural options and witnessed by a whole lot of 1000’s of viewers and hundreds of thousands of TV viewers.
After speeches by the chairman of the organizing committee Tony Estanguet and the president of the IOC Thomas Bach, Macron opened the thirty third Summer season Olympics with the fastened, ordered phrases.
– France has had a love affair with the Olympics for nearly 130 years, since Pierre de Coubertin proposed within the auditorium of the Sorbonne College just a few kilometers from right here to revive the previous Olympic Video games, stated Estanguet in his speech.
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– The love has grown by way of video games in Paris, Chamonix, Grenoble and Albertville. We’ve got set our hearts on bringing the Video games to Paris once more after 100 years. For the subsequent 16 days, that is your metropolis, he informed the athletes.
The heavy rain made it disagreeable for spectators and members. The NTB ambassador in Paris stated that some spectators had had sufficient and left the stands lengthy earlier than the parade of actors had completed their journey on the Seine.
The primary time
That is the primary time within the historical past of the fashionable Olympic Video games that the opening ceremony has not been added to a sports activities discipline, and it was an incredible affair regardless of the rain.
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The ceremony opened with a movie clip by which torchbearer Jamel Debbouze arrived at an empty Stade de France and was met by soccer hero Zinédine Zidane, who took over the torch and tried to hold it to the Pont d’Austerlitz utilizing the metro. When the automobile stopped in a tunnel, it was left to some kids who accomplished the journey by way of town’s catacombs.
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Within the hours that adopted, because the boats with the members moved slowly in the direction of the Jardins du Trocadéro, we received to know a collection of cultural options that marked town of Paris and the tradition and historical past of France.
On the similar time, the torch was carried by a person with a masks over roofs and between dancers and singers on the way in which to the climax of the night. There was a debate about who ought to painting him that set social media on hearth, and ideas ranged from Phantom of the Opera to Ezio, the primary character of the pc recreation Murderer’s Creed.
Perec and Riner lit the hearth
As traditional, there was nice pleasure about who would gentle the Olympic flame, and it was Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner who obtained that honor in 23.22.
Perec received three Olympic gold medals in athletics in 1992 and 1996, whereas Riner received two Olympic golds and 11 World Cup golds in judo between 2007 and 2023.
Zidane appeared on the rostrum cheering and shouting “Zizou” simply after the Video games opened and obtained the torch from the masked man, solely to cross it on to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, within the a metropolis the place Nadal received the Roland-Garros 14 occasions. He took it with him in a ship on the Seine the place Serena Williams, Nacia Comaneci and Carl Lewis additionally received to hold the torch.
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After the boat journey, the hearth handed over the previous tennis star Amelie Mauresmo, who ran to the Jardins de Tuileries, the place he gave former NBA star Tony Parker.
In entrance of the Louvre museum, three athletes joined the defenders of the hearth: Alexis Hanquinquant, Nentenin Keïta and Marie-Amélie Le Fur. Michaël Guigou, a three-time Olympic handball champion, was the subsequent to hitch the group,
Then much more French sportsmen appeared, lastly the nation’s oldest Olympic winner Charles Coste, who was born in 1924 when Paris hosted the final Olympics. He received gold in observe biking in London in 1948. From his wheelchair he handed the torch to Pérec and Riner.
Anti-return
A gown rehearsal was not held, so not a lot had been revealed about who would play on the ceremony. The rumors about Girl Gaga had been appropriate when she was liable for the primary piece of music, and the organizer confirmed early on Friday night time that Dion would even be there. She lastly appeared, in her first look since being identified in 2022 with Autoimmune Rigidity Syndrome.
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Earlier, opera singer Marina Viotto sang with the heavy metallic band Gojira, and French singing star Aya Nakamura was additionally amongst many artists.
The hours earlier than the opening bore the stamp of an emergency within the metropolis, with armed cops and vehicles with full sirens in a number of locations. The rain dampened the temper. It’s stated that the organizer postponed the ceremony to this time due to the sundown on the Eiffel Tower, however in fact it was not seen.
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Entry points for ticket holders have been additionally reported. A number of doorways solely opened lengthy after the scheduled time, as a result of issues with card readers.
100 years for the reason that final time
Paris joined London as the one cities to host the Olympic Video games thrice. The French capital additionally hosted the Summer season Video games in 1900 and 1924. Saturday marks precisely 100 years for the reason that earlier Paris Video games ended.
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Three years after the Video games in Tokyo, which have been held beneath strict corona restrictions, the organizer and the French authorities confronted terrorism fears and changed the normal entry parade with a cruise on the Seine. Olympic members.
Round 6,800 Olympic members took an armada of boats, 85 in quantity.
The Norwegian members had a spot at “Le Diamant Bleu”, which they shared with athletes from Nigeria and Niger. Christian Sørum and Katrine Lunde have been the flag bearers.
204 collaborating international locations and the worldwide refugee staff have been represented. The few Russians and Belarusians who’re allowed to compete as particular person athletes weren’t allowed to take part within the opening ceremony.
As traditional, Greece was the primary nation, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo because the flag bearer. Proper behind him adopted the refugee staff, after which adopted the alphabet, besides that future Olympic organizers might be late and the host nation final.
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A stupendous second
320,000 individuals had tickets to the assorted viewing factors alongside the river, whereas others watched from the encircling buildings.
The athletes landed within the Jardins du Trocadéro, which is positioned on the opposite facet of the river from the Eiffel Tower. There, the opening ceremony led to a transferring enviornment and, as promised, surprisingly, included a light-weight present on the Eiffel Tower.
– Will probably be a phenomenal time and an enormous get together, stated Tony Estanguet earlier than the opening ceremony.
French Inside Minister Gérald Darmanin stated on Friday afternoon that greater than 50,000 cops have been working to care for safety on the opening ceremony, together with troopers and personal safety guards.
2024-07-26 21:52:00
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