Paris Olympics 2024 opens in a grand style

The Paris Olympics 2024 is here. The games finally opened yesterday in a grand style in the French Capital, Paris. The opening ceremony will go down in history as one of the best Olympic opening ceremonies. An opening ceremony unlike any other. Held outdoors along the banks of the Seine River, it provided a natural view and made it possible for many more persons to attend and watch the opening ceremonies live.

Medals to be won at the Paris Olympics 2024

At these Paris Olympics 2024 Games, there will be a total of 329 medal events—157 are for men, 152 are for women, while 20 are mixed-gender events. There are three classes of medals to be won by the Athletes, namely: Gold, Silver and Bronze. So, for the Paris Olympics 2024, there will be at least a total of 987 medals made up of 329 Gold, 329 Silver and 329 bronze medals. Note, however, that this does not include multiple medals on team events like football, basket ball, race relay, rowing, etc.

The Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony

The River Seine provided a stunning backdrop for the boats as they made their way towards the Trocadero for the Parade of Nations. The Eiffel Tower, adorned with Paris Olympics 2024 rings, shone brightly in the night, adding to the beauty of the scene.

The city was utilized extensively for the performances, featuring videos of a torch-bearer running across rooftops and through famous Paris locations. The ceremony alternated between recorded videos and live sweeping shots of the city initially, but truly came alive when the focus shifted to Paris itself.

Various aspects of the city’s history and culture were highlighted during the Paris Olympics 2024 ceremony, such as a heavy metal performance in the Conciergerie with windows filled with headless Marie Antoinettes backlit in red, and a fashion show catwalk over the river. Additionally, Lady Gaga paid tribute to the city’s cabaret culture on the riverbanks.

As the sun set, the City of Light sparkled through the rain. The Paris Olympics 2024 Torch relay passed along the illuminated Seine, showcasing the stunning scenery near the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower’s mesmerizing light show with lasers and dancing beams. This was a captivating glimpse of what the upcoming Games will entail, with Paris’ most iconic landmarks providing a picturesque backdrop for the competitions.

The planners of the Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony made it their mission to create a one-of-a-kind spectacle for the Paris 2024 event, and they succeeded in doing so. The emphasis was on showcasing the city rather than the usual focus on the Olympic Stadium. From the red carpet to the picturesque Seine backdrop and the grand Cauldron finale, all elements were unprecedented for the Olympics. This has truly established a new standard for future games, expanding the event beyond the confines of a stadium to encompass a significant portion of one of the world’s largest cities. Lady Gaga kicked off the event with a performance along the River Seine, while Celine Dion closed the ceremony.

A hot-air balloon carried an Olympic ring of fire into a rainy sky while singer Celine Dion performed from the Eiffel Tower as Paris commenced its first Summer Olympics in a century, featuring a four-hour-long, rule-breaking opening ceremony that unfolded along the Seine River.

Intermittent showers did not dampen the athletes’ enthusiasm, with some using umbrellas as they traveled by boat down the river, showcasing the city’s resilience as authorities probed suspected acts of sabotage against France’s high-speed rail network.

The high-stakes ceremony showcased France’s ambition, with dozens of heads of state and government in attendance, and the world watching as Paris transformed into a massive open-air theater. Along the Seine, iconic monuments served as stages for dancers, singers, and other artists.

In spite of the inclement weather, the banks and bridges of the Seine were packed with crowds and onlookers from balconies, who expressed their excitement as Paris Olympics 2024 teams paraded in boats down the increasingly choppy waterway. Due to the slippery conditions, organizers were forced to cancel some elements of the show deemed too risky. Nevertheless, Paris showcased a spectacular Paris Olympics 2024 launch, featuring joyous French cancan dancers and a humorous short film with soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. The event culminated with French President Emmanuel Macron officially declaring the Games open, more than three hours into the show.

The event honored women, with 10 golden statues of female pioneers emerging from large pedestals along the river. One of them was Olympe de Gouges, who authored the Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen in 1791 during the French Revolution. She advocated for the end of slavery and was executed by guillotine in 1793.

Athletes of the Paris Olympics 2024 Games

The Paris Olympics 2024 Games strive to be the first to have an equal number of male and female competitors. The expansive event presented organizers with larger crowds to transport, coordinate, and protect than previous Olympic ceremonies held in stadiums.

Thousands of athletes on 85 boats began the 6-kilometer (nearly 4-mile) procession on the Seine by passing through curtains of water flowing down from Austerlitz Bridge. The flowing water was a nod to the fountains of Versailles Palace, the site of Paris Olympics 2024 equestrian competitions.

Following Olympic tradition, the first boat carried athletes from Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games. It was followed by the Paris Olympics 2024 team of refugee athletes and then the other nations in French alphabetical order.

In inaugurating the 33rd summer Olympics, which are taking place amid a challenging international and domestic political environment, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach informed athletes that they were now “part of an event that unites the world in peace”.

Over 10,500 athletes will compete in 32 sports at the Paris Olympics 2024 Games, which will conclude on 11 August.

In his speech, IOC president Bach told athletes that “in a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together tonight, uniting the athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team”.