Historic river parade, rain, Celine Dion ignite Paris Olympics

PARIS – A historic boat parade down the River Seine launched the Paris Olympics with spectacular French flair yesterday, as the City of Light welcomed the world’s greatest athletes for a sporting extravaganza.

A show-stopping performance by Celine Dion, a flaming Olympic cauldron lifted into the night sky by hot-air balloon, and a dazzling Eiffel Tower light show brought the curtain down on a four-hour celebration of French culture, history and art.

A fleet of barges took the competitors on a six-kilometer 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.

Braving torrential rain, some 300,000 people had lined the river banks to cheer on the armada carrying competitors past the city’s iconic sights: the Eiffel Tower bearing the five Olympic rings, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral.

The wildly ambitious display was the first time the Olympic opening ceremony has been staged outside the main stadium, making it the biggest-ever launch for the “Greatest Show on Earth.”

But that gamble also made the ceremony hostage to the weather, with spectators, VIPs, and athletes alike drenched or huddling in transparent ponchos.

Some spectators refused to let the downpour get them down. “I’ve got such an adrenaline rush. It’s very exciting,” said Selene Martinez, 42, who had travelled from Mexico for the ceremony.

But others were less stoic about the heavy rain on the parade, with some leaving the ceremony early to seek shelter.

“It’s a great idea. The performances are awesome. I just wish it wasn’t raining,” said Pauline Brett, 69, who had come from Chicago with her family.

In the City of Love, the ceremony stressed togetherness and unity in a world that has suffered wars, massacres, and political upheaval since the Covid-delayed Tokyo Olympics.

Four jets from the French air force display team drew a large pink heart in the Paris sky to set the tone.

For just over a fortnight, organizers hope the superhuman performances of stars like gymnast Simone Biles, tennis champion Novak Djokovic or sprinter Noah Lyles will provide the world with much-needed distraction.

Beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower, breakdancing in Place de la Concorde, equestrian sport at the Palace of Versailles: 100 years since Paris last staged the Olympics, the city will provide a stunning backdrop to the sport.

“I declare open the Games of Paris celebrating the 33rd Olympiad of the modern era,” said President Emmanuel Macron.

In a symbol of the Games’ message of gender parity, French track legend Marie-Jose Perec and three-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner lit the Olympic cauldron together.

Dion closed the show from the first level of the Eiffel Tower, with her first public performance since revealing she was suffering from a rare illness.

‘Push the limits’

Paris 2024 organizer Tony Estanguet had said the opening ceremony needed to “push the limits as far as possible,” showing from the start France’s ambition for the Games.

And from Moulin Rouge performers doing the cancan to a video showing dancers on the scaffolding of fire-damaged Notre Dame, it was a colorful festival of all things French.

Led out by Greece through jets of water cascading from a bridge, accompanied by an accordion player, around 7,000 athletes cruised down a six-kilometer (four-mile) stretch of the Seine to the Eiffel Tower on 85 boats.

The unprecedented ceremony sparked a colossal security operation in a city where memories of the November 2015 Islamist attacks are still raw.

Around 45,000 police and paramilitary officers were on duty to protect the ceremony, along with 10,000 soldiers and 22,000 private security guards.

Snipers, specialist frogmen, and AI-augmented cameras were deployed, with airspace closed and the area around the Seine virtually locked down.

To everyone’s relief, the ceremony passed off without major incident.

‘Gender equality’

Sporting royalty mingled with celebrities and world leaders on and off the Seine, which will host triathlon and the swimming marathon after a historic clean-up to make it swimmable.

Lady Gaga added global musical star power, with Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura also performing, defying criticism from far-right politicians who suggested her appearance would “humiliate” France.

The ceremony kicked off with a video of French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who took the torch on an offbeat journey through the Metro, and the Paris catacombs.

Basketball icon LeBron James and tennis player Coco Gauff carried the flag for Team USA.