Table of Contents
A opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games happened today, Friday, 26 July, at 14h30, and was marked by its boldness and originality, making it unique. It is certainly among the most memorable moments in Olympic history. The ceremony was broadcast by various media, including open TV, streams and even by YouTube. And, if you missed this great moment, don't worry, because we at showmetech, we have separated the best moments for you. Check out:
A ceremony along the River Seine
For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the Opening Ceremony did not take place in a stadium. Paris 2024 decided to innovate by taking sports to the streets, with the event being held in the heart of the city: the River Seine. As it was an outdoor event, Paris provided more than 45 thousand security agents. The delegation parade featured boats for each nation, carrying more than 10.500 athletes which traveled approximately 6 km by the river, crossing the center of Paris.
Paris came to revolutionize the Olympic games with a ceremony open to as many people as possible. The public was able to follow the entire show through more than 80 screens positioned along the route. Additionally, each nation had cameras installed on their respective vessels to broadcast the event.
Opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Foreword
The opening began with the presence of illustrious French personalities, such as the actor and comedian Jamel Debbouze e Zinedine Zidane, considered the greatest player in the history of French football, who received the Olympic torch from the actor's hands.
The current coach carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Paris until passing it to children on the Paris metro. The Olympic torch continued its journey through the streets of the city of lights to a type of catacombs located on the banks of a river, where it was handed over to a mysterious figure who arrived in a boat.
We then had a brief break for the presentation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by several Olympic authorities.
After leaving the catacombs, the illustration of “Ça ira“, a French expression that can be translated as “This will work” or “This will happen”, reinforcing optimism and confidence in the success of the event.
The boat continued along the waters of the River Seine, accompanied by a smoke show in the colors of the French flag, marking the beginning of the arrival of the first national delegations.
Nice to meet you
The initial presentation stage of the Opening Ceremony was titled “Nice to meet you“, a French expression that means “pleased to meet you”.
This first stage followed the historical Olympic tradition, with the Greece being the first to make its entrance due to its origin as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, held for the first time in Olympia in 776 BC. Then, the other delegations paraded in alphabetical order.
While the delegations introduced themselves, we had a performance that left everyone with their mouths open: the singer and songwriter Lady Gaga gave a stunning performance of “Mon Truc in Plumes“, an iconic song from the famous “French revues” created in the 1960s, written by Zizi Jeanmaire.
Check out the presentation video:
At the end of Lady Gaga's show, we had more delegations present, including the delegation Brazilian who entered with his personalized uniform that even before the opening of the Olympic Games began, caught the attention of internet users and divided opinions.
The clothing, which is already part of the tradition of the Olympic Games, stood out for its look with embroidered details of macaws, toucans and jaguars on denim jackets.
The Brazilian delegation's flag bearers included Isaquias Queiroz, canoeing, and Raquel Kochhann, from rugby sevens.
We had an emotional tribute to can-can, the traditional French dance, which became popular in music halls in the 40s. The dance was performed by 80 artists of the iconic Moulin Rouge. With the motto “Yes, we can!".
Synchronicity
To begin the second chapter of the ceremony, entitled “Synchronicity” or “Synchronicity”, we watched a presentation that represented the workers and people of Paris, with the Notre Dame cathedral as scenery. The cathedral is being rebuilt after being damaged by a fire in 2019. Workers were received with a message of thanks for their efforts that contributed to the holding of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In partnership with the jewelry store Chaumet, from the group LVMH, the Olympic medals that contain an original piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower in each of the medals were highlighted 5.084 medals which will be given to athletes who will participate in the 2024 Olympics.
As the opening ceremony continued we had 500 dancers appear around the Notre-Dame Bridge and Paris City Hall.
Free
We arrive at the third chapter of the ceremony, entitled “Free” or “Liberdade”, which was marked by an intense rock performance. The performance made significant references to French Revolution and to other important political moments in French history.
Check out the presentation video:
Marina Viotti, one of the most important lyric sopranos in world opera, sang and enchanted everyone with the performance of “La Carmen“, a famous classical opera by Georges Bizet, accompanied by the Paris orchestra and choir.
Égalité
The fourth stage was “Égalité” or “Equality” and was marked by the celebration of the unifying power of the French language, highlighting how it has been influenced by various communities over time. The show was led by the Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, who shone with a memorable performance alongside the Republican Guard in Pont des Arts.
Check out the presentation video:
Carrying the Olympic torch, the mysterious masked man made his way through the largest museum in the world, the Louvre Museum, where he interacted with various works of art.
Sorority
On the roof of Grand-Palais, one of the venues for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we had the presentation of a version of the French national anthem by Axelle Saint-Cirel. This performance began the fifth chapter, titled “Sorority” or “Sorority”, which highlights the fundamental role of women in the history of France.
During the opening, we took a moment to recognize and celebrate the contributions of great women in French history. Furthermore, it was highlighted that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be the first to guarantee gender equality, with the same number of men and women participating in competitions.
Check out the 10 heroines honored during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games:
- Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793)
- Alice Milliat (1884-1957)
- Gisele Halimi (1927-2020)
- Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)
- Paulette Nardal (1896-1985)
- Jeanne Barrett (1740-1807)
- Louise Michel (1830-1905)
- Christine de Pizan (1364-1431)
- Alice Guy (1873-1968)
- Simone Veil (1927-2017)
Fair-play
The sixth chapter, titled “Fair-play” or “sportsmanship”, highlighted a special breaking performance, which makes its Olympic debut in this edition of the Games. The performance, performed by Jakub Józef Orlinsky, lyrical singer and b-boy, enchanted the audience with his interpretation of “Viens, Hymen"Of Branch. The show took place between Bridge des Invalides and l'Alma Bridge.
Festivity
The performance of “King"Of Rim'K marked the beginning of the eighth chapter, titled “Festivity“, celebrating diversity and inclusion. A dazzling parade of young French fashion designers presented their classic collections, while the DJ Barbara Butch, a politically engaged figure and LGBT icon, provided the night's lively soundtrack.
The boat with the delegation of United States was the penultimate to parade on the River Seine as they were the host country for the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles em 2028. The delegation, which has 594 athletes from 46 different states, had LeBron James e Coco gauff, two icons of American sports, as the flag bearers.
Finally, we had the arrival of the boat with the host delegation, the France, composed by 571 athletes. France's flag bearers were the swimmer Florent Manaudou e Melina Robert-Michon, athletics.
Then, with Paris already immersed in darkness, the iconic song “Imagine", written by John Lennon e Ono Yoko, was presented by the pianist Sofiane Pamart and the vocalist Juliet Armanet.
The path to the Olympic Pyre
Towards the end of the ceremony, we had an emotional tribute that celebrated the historical importance of Paris at the beginning of the Modern Olympic Games. A metallic knight paraded through the Sena River, following the route of Austerlitz Bridge à Iéna Bridge, symbolizing the Olympic spirit. Meanwhile, projected images recalled the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Paris on June 23, 1894, and the first Olympic Games.
The mysterious figure, mounted on a white horse, brought the olympic flag to the iconic Trocadero Square, where all the athletes who had disembarked gathered to honor this important moment, which was marked by the execution of the Olympic Anthem.
Then, we had a moment of solemnity in which the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, officially declared open the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
To close the opening ceremony, we had the traditional olympic torch relay, which was passed from the mysterious figure to Zinedine Zidane, and he, in turn, handed her over to Rafael Nadal, considered the “most Parisian” of foreign athletes.
In sequence, the torch passed through names such as Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Nadia Comaneci, Carl Lewis e Amélie Mauresmo, who carried it celebrating with the public until reaching the Louvre Museum.
Carl Lewis pass the torch to Amélie Mauresmo, the first and only French tennis player to reach the number 1 position in the world in the Open Era. In the streets, the torch returns to the Louvre Museum, where Amélie Mauresmo delivery to Tony Parker. The torch is then passed to Alexis Henquinquant, Nantenin Keïta, Marie-Amélie Le Fur e Michael Guigou, who continue running together.
Guigou passed the torch to Alison Pineau, Olympic handball champion at Tokyo 2020. She then finally handed the torch to Teddy Riner, holder of five Olympic medals in judo and 11 times world champion, and the Marie-Jose Pérec, a French sports legend with three gold medals in athletics. Together they lit the Olympic cauldron, which, this time in the shape of a giant balloon, took to the skies over Paris.
Check out the moment the Olympic Pyre was lit:
With lots of art, music and history, the parade concluded its 6 kilometer route with an exciting presentation of Celine Dion who sang “The Hymn to Love", music Edith Piaf.
Check out the presentation video:
The athletes were the heart and soul of the ceremony. By starting with the athletes' parade, Paris 2024 broke with tradition and brought innovation. Athletes were highlighted on stage during the introduction and throughout the ceremony, aligning with Paris 2024's goal of hosting Games created for and by athletes.
It is important to remember that the games of Paris 2024 Olympics will be broadcast on the day July 26th to August 11th. The complete Olympic schedule can be viewed on official event website. After that, it is the turn of the Paralympic athletes to fight for medals, among August 26 and September 8, 2024.
And then, did you like opening of the Paris Olympics? So, tell us here in the comments what your favorite moment was and be sure to share the post with your friends and follow our website to stay up to date with other news like this and the world of technology.
See also:
Also check out other related content on Showmetech. Where to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics for free (on TV and online)
Source: Olympic Games Paris 2024
Discover more about Showmetech
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
