Yahoo Sports Paris Olympics emerges from darkness with unique opening ceremony
After the mayhem, the majesty. Paris conjured a truly indelible spectacle to launch the Games of the 33rd Olympiad, with a blazing hot-air balloon soaring high into the night sky offering a breathtaking showcase for the City of Lights. The four-hour opening ceremony was unlike any conceived in the 128 years of the modern Olympics, transplanting the host nation’s story from a stadium setting to a dozen complex tableaux on water, all while ferrying 6,800 athletes in a 3½-mile flotilla of 85 barges. Even Emmanuel Macron conceded the idea was “crazy”. The fact that it somehow succeeded was little short of miraculous.
A day that had dawned with a vast and co-ordinated attack on France’s high-speed rail network culminated in the sight of that glorious balloon, an airborne cauldron visible from every corner of the metropolis. Just when the teeming summer rain threatened to douse the fervour, the organisers summoned a magnificent coup de théâtre. Charles Coste, at the age of 100 the oldest living French Olympic gold medallist, rolled forward in his wheelchair with the Olympic torch, one unforgettable figure in the chain of champions who would set the balloon on its stately ascent.
It fell to Céline Dion to close the show with a rendition of Édith Piaf’s L’Hymne à l’amour. The moment marked the French-Canadian superstar’s first concert appearance since her diagnosis in 2022 with stiff-person syndrome. She proved a fitting choice. Earlier in the evening, diving’s Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover evoked the memory of her best-known song, My Heart Will Go On, recreating the iconic Titanic scene for which it is known at the front of the British boat.
Under sopping downpours, the sheer ambition of this ceremony was dazzling. Yes, the security situation hovered between tension and outright panic in the wake of the railway sabotage, paralysing all routes into Paris’s grandest soirée. And yes, the relentless rain was enough to challenge even an eternal optimist. But the balloon saved the day, an iconic flourish that rendered these Games instantly unforgettable.
In the end, the act of vandalism on the transport network could not derail a night watched by over one billion TV viewers worldwide. Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci: all electrified the final hour as the torch relay reached its climax.
As the party burst into life with jets of blue, white and red smoke across the Austerlitz Bridge, mirroring the tricolor, anxieties dissolved into the ominous clouds overhead. With pink pom-poms and a golden staircase, Lady Gaga could hardly have hoped for a more Moulin Rouge-esque backdrop to her recital of Zizi Jeanmaire’s Mon Truc en Plumes.
From the silhouette of Quasimodo clinging to the spire of Notre-Dame to a performance of a Bizet aria through a window of the Supreme Court, the hosts were never knowingly understated with this production. And with good reason: this was the first ‘full-fat’ Olympics since 2016, determined to draw a line under the eerie voids of Tokyo three years ago, when a pandemic-enforced ban on spectators had created a ghost Games.
On the boats, athletes craned to capture the wild theatre of it all on their phones, even if they had to wear ponchos to stave off the driving rain. This was a history lesson imparted as never before: only with Olympic levels of ostentation can you go from Les Misérables to death metal to an image of a beheaded Marie Antoinette, all in the space of about 45 seconds.
It was a ruse, clearly, to cut through the usual longueurs of these ceremonies, where hours of interpretative dance are followed by an even more interminable athletes’ parade. But such was the blizzard of symbolism, it was hard sometimes to know where to look, or to detect a unifying message.
Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, channelled his inner John Lennon by declaring: “Some may say, in the Olympic world, that we are dreamers. But we are not the only ones.” It is a moot point as to how much the audience here, huddled under their umbrellas, shared his sentiment. In a splintered world, his appeal to romanticism sounded at best naive, at worst cynical.
Already these Games have been overshadowed by myriad scandals, from the Dutch fielding a convicted child rapist in their beach volleyball team to the British losing star equestrienne Charlotte Dujardin because of a distressing video of her whipping a horse repeatedly. The notion that Paris will rekindle some form of lost innocence is fanciful.
The most anyone can hope for is that these Olympics bring their usual blend of inspiration and escapism. As the birthplace of the Games’ founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Paris hopes to stage feats worthy of the “faster, higher, stronger” ethos. From sprint sensation Noah Lyles to gymnast extraordinaire Simone Biles, it has the people capable of delivering them. Britain, too, has a team to sustain a golden thread unbroken since London 2012.
For the jittery hosts, unnerved by the suffocating police presence and shocked by the attack on their railways, the overwhelming imperative is to navigate the next 16 days unscathed. The soaring sight of that wonderful balloon should at least give them hope that they can.
Olympics opening ceremony: As it happened . . .
10:58 PM BST
That’s all from what was a unique opening ceremony
In parts surreal, in parts spectacular, always very wet.
We’ll be blogging all of tomorrow’s events, with the action in the pool getting under way, so please join us for that.
10:49 PM BST
Opening ceremony as Eurovision
10:47 PM BST
The Paris Games is officially under way
10:38 PM BST
I prefer Dion’s performance tonight (by a mile...)
Atlanta 1996 Paris 2024
🤝
Céline Dionpic.twitter.com/PHnt4JOUUd— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
10:35 PM BST
Worth the wait
It took a while but what a conclusion. The cauldron-balloon is a beautiful sight and an inspired idea. Fantastical but stately, much like Celine Dion, who (pardon my French) sang la merde out of that song.
A lot of literal showboating, but as an expression of a complicated and, on this evidence, really quite odd country you could not ask for more from France. A real shame about the weather but with better luck all of that will be overshadowed from tomorrow by glorious sport. It’s always sunny in sport. And if it’s not you can just go inside and watch some volleyball.
10:33 PM BST
Rebecca Adlington
(Also on the BBC) Is more blatant - she out and out didn’t like it.
10:32 PM BST
‘It was different’
American 200m and 400m great Michael Johnson, who is a pundit for the BBC, is being polite but not really hiding the fact that he quite possibly didn’t think the opening ceremony was that great...
10:29 PM BST
The Olympic flame is lit
It’s in the form of a hot-air balloon. And it’s set ablaze by French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner.
The Gardens of the Tuileries is where, in 1783, Jacques Charles and Aine Robert ascended in their hydrogen balloon. They travelled 27 miles and it was the longest hot-air balloon flight attempted up to that time.
The hot-air balloon/flame then ascends into the Parisian night sky. And Celine Dion, as anticipated, starts singing. She’s by the Eiffel Tower.
It’s a spectacular sight.
10:21 PM BST
Parker then hands the torch to...
...a trio of Para-athletes. The procession has now reached the Gardens of the Tuileries, next to the Louvre. And the torch is passed quickly among a series of great French athletes.
There’s more than a hint of Pass The Parcel here, ‘when the music stops you get to light the cauldron’...
One of the ‘French legends’ is Charles Coste, who is 100, and who uses a wheelchair. He was a cycling champion in 1948 and is France’s oldest living gold medallist
10:15 PM BST
Nadal and Co are still on the boat
And the Spaniard looks soaked...
Who does he give the torch to? It’s another tennis star, Amelie Mauresmo. The former world No.1 is on land and runs with the torch along the banks of the Seine. But where’s she going? It’s the Louvre! She then passes the torch to Tony Parker, the former basketball player, the first Frenchman to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
Request for France for future: Slightly faster boats. Much faster horses. Merci!
We’re going rather big on tennis here, are we not? Fans of most other Olympic sport feeling a bit short changed. Unless we’re about to see the great and the good of climbing / wresting / handball to get equivalent torch-bearing stints? Please, let’s hope not. We have homes to go to.
10:12 PM BST
Feeling flat
Interesting to see a few broadcasting sorts explaining how and why rain has impacted tonight, and why it might have felt a little flat on TV:
An issue with an opening ceremony like this is that it is nearly impossible to get intimacy.
Those close up shots are crucial for connection, and there are very few here #OpeningCeremony— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) July 26, 2024
Add rain splattered lenses to that and it's a directors nightmare.
— Gabby Logan (@GabbyLogan) July 26, 2024
I remember the awful weather in the days leading up to London. Then, come the day… it stopped. It was like Coe was blessed. Less so organisers of Paris 24 tonight. Staging, cameras, & therefore coverage options hugely impacted ☔️ but too ambitious for me, poor spectacle.
— Pam Melbourne (@PamMelbourne) July 26, 2024
Point about close-ups is particularly striking. Not the sort of thing you ever think about very much unless you work in broadcasting, but with a moment of thought of course seeing people’s expressions at close quarters is crucial to the grammar of an event like this.
We did have some close-ups of Thomas Bach but I’m not sure many people found his words as moving as he would have liked.
10:08 PM BST
Nadal has taken the torch and got on a boat
So the cauldron won’t be lit by the Eiffel Tower (unless, the tennis great isn’t reading the script and has stolen the torch..). It looks as though the flame is in danger of going out such is the wind and rain (eeek!). Who’s Nadal with? It’s fellow tennis great, Serena Williams! Sprinting and long jumping great Carl Lewis then receives the torch, he looks a bit sea sick.
10:02 PM BST
It’s Zizou!
Zinedine Zidane turns up again. And the mysterious masked torch holder appears from beneath the stage to hand said Olympic torch to the all-time great footballer. Is he going to light the Olympic cauldron?
NO!
He hands the torch to famous Frenchman, errrrm, Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. To be fair Rafa is an honorary Parisian having won at Roland Garros a zillion (14) times.
There’s then a light show (impressive one at that...) on/from the Eiffel Tower. Where’s Jean-Michel Jarre when you need him?
09:55 PM BST
It looks as though...
...they’ve only gone and raised the Olympic flag upside down...sacre bleu!
09:53 PM BST
Speech time
They’re in French and Andrew Cotter is translating.
First it’s Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024...
Don’t think Cotter’s French is as good as he thinks it is. “Something about love there...” is what the popular BBC commentator tells us. I, too, wasn’t great at French (gave it up after GCSE...) so I won’t criticise.
He finds his French-English dictionary in time for Thomas Bach’s speech.
The Olympic president says: “The moment is here...welcome to the Paris Games 2024...it’s going to be an inclusive Games, younger, more urban, and with equality between women and men on the field of play...your smiles make us love Paris even more...Paris, city of love. Thank you France for this welcome.”
He then speaks en Anglais and Cotter no longer needs Google translate.
All polite and predictable stuff.
09:33 PM BST
The mechanised horse
Has become a real one, and the Olympic flag is attached to the rider. They are followed by people carrying all the flags of the participating nations over the Pont d’Iena Bridge.
The rider, who is wearing what looks like a lot of tin foil or a bendy mirror, then carries the Olympic flag and hands it over to members of the French military. The flag is then raised, accompanied by the Olympic anthem.
The rain, that had stopped, is now back in force.
09:26 PM BST
Why? Why? Why?
First they came for the Minions and I did not speak up because I do not care about the Minions but... John Lennon’s Imagine? Is there not a French language equivalent? Surely we’d have taken Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, even with its rather less world peace-y message?
This magical horse is quite impressive but is running about as quickly as a German train. At last we have reached the part of the event taking place at the Trocadero. Reward at last for a crowd of soaked bigwigs.
09:21 PM BST
A mechanised horse is now galloping down the Seine
It’s taking a lot of time to get to its destination, which, I assume, is by the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero which is where all the focus will now be.
09:14 PM BST
It’s getting weirder
An unnamed singer (will try to find out who it is...) is singing John Lennon’s Imagine on a small floating thing made to look like igneous rock with a man on a piano that is wildly on fire (it looks out of control...). Think it’s supposed to be poignant but it’s plain bizarre. It was Sofiane Pamart on piano and Juliette Armanet on vocals.
09:10 PM BST
Have I just taken some LSD?
I haven’t, but it is one of the possible explanations for seeing a semi-naked man wearing blue body paint, with bright orange hair and a beard (looking like a drug-addled Papa Smurf...) emerge singing on a fruit platter from a silver cloche...not overly sure what that is supposed to represent. All a bit of (surreal) fun, though...
09:05 PM BST
Someone who actually likes the Euro pop section...
A big “pop” as they say in the world of professional wrestling for the French team, predictably. Just no let up in the rain. Macron taking Starmer’s cue and refusing to wear the poncho, but he is one of very few with a fully covered seat at the Trocadero.
Really enjoying the Eurodance section but that might just be because the endless parade of nations has finished. A glaring lack of Italo Disco though, which should prompt Rome to put itself forward for a future Games to avenge.
09:01 PM BST
It’s Euro pop time!
There’s something I never thought I’d ever have to write, let alone on a sports blog. Also, it’s something that should never be uttered, at any time, no matter what the occasion. It’s never time for Euro pop...
Anyway, various dancers strut their stuff on the drenched catwalk and what on looks like a barge with the EU flag as a dancefloor. As Del Boy would say: ‘Chateauneuf du Pape’...
08:55 PM BST
Now it’s France
The host country coming last in the parade of nations. No shock to learn that they receive the loudest cheer of the night so far. Also no shock to see the French team on the biggest boat. It’s by far the biggest boat, it’s long and stretches far down the Seine. They might also win the prize for ‘most ponchos on a boat’.
08:52 PM BST
Call off the search party!
The masked torch holder is back (phew, I was getting worried) and he/she is doing some dangerous moves (especially considering the downpour) on the catwalk.
08:49 PM BST
We’ve only three teams left!
First is Australia, the 2032 hosts. They’re followed by the US, the 2028 hosts, and then we have...
08:46 PM BST
Good point from Thom
Where is the sinister masked torch holder? We haven’t seen him/her for a while now. Perhaps, they’ve gone in search of the three children they seemed to have lost earlier?
08:43 PM BST
Where is the masked flame-holding person?
We’ve reached the Ts. Feel like we’ve broken the back of this now. The catwalk element now seems to have been going on for more than the traditional Paris Fashion week. Am also finding it slightly distracting how many of the boats look like the Thames Clipper. A lovely novelty option to travel from Greenwich to Vauxhall, but wouldn’t fancy three hours on one.
All gone a bit quiet from masked flame-holding bloke hasn’t it? What’s he up to? Stopped for a little Pastis in Le Marais? Surely the reveal of his face is going to be a fun moment? My guess: Juliette Binoche.
08:41 PM BST
The Seine is getting rather choppy
Which is bad news for the Sudan boat, which is tiny (quite possibly the gold medal winner in the smallest vessel competition) and is being buffeted by the increasingly large waves. If one of their athletes doesn’t get seasick I’ll give you 10 euros...
08:34 PM BST
The Solomon Islands only have two athletes
And they get their own boat – result! Think they have some hangers on there...
08:32 PM BST
There’s bad news and bad news
We’re only up to N in terms of team intros, and the rain is still hammering it down in Paris.
08:26 PM BST
There’s now a fashion show
The catwalk is on the Debilly Footbridge. That had to be on your opening ceremony bingo card, non? Some of the outfits on show are worse than the garb worn by the athletes on the boats.
08:23 PM BST
A lot of the athletes...
...have a very strong ‘Alan Partridge reporting on the racing from Marple’ vibe about them. Google it...
08:18 PM BST
Gold medal for the best outfit goes to (drum roll please)...
MONGOLIA!
Apparently it took 20 hours to embroider each outfit - well worth it, I say...some may say it looks like an overly ornate apron, but they’re wrong...
08:14 PM BST
What’s on your opening ceremony bingo card?
What have you got left on your French opening ceremony bingo card? Here’s mine:
Felt for Maldives on their boat when it looked like they were being squirted with water, doubt many of them have any had ever need to own an anorak. Have these soggy Olympians not suffered enough? Think it was a trick of the camera, though.
08:12 PM BST
There’s still more to come
But (so far) I agree with this sentiment.
Danny Boyle sits, lights up a cigar and smiles safe in the knowledge that he has held onto his crown for at least 4 more years. #Olympic2024 #OpeningCeremony
— Charlie Baker 💛 (@BakersTweet) July 26, 2024
08:04 PM BST
Laos athletes have to be told...
...to wave the right way if they want to be seen on TV.
Luxembourg also didn’t get the memo. All we see of their team is the backs of the athletes.
08:01 PM BST
La Marseillaise is sung by Axelle Saint-Cirel
While tributes are paid to 10 heroines of French history.
Wow! 😮 We've got goosebumps! Have you?
💙🤍❤️ From the roof of the Grand-Palais, a new and powerful version of the French National anthem is delivered by Axelle Saint-Cirel. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/8ZbCnIqYWg— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
💛 A tribute to 10 golden heroines of French history.
Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Louise Michel, Christine de Pizan, Alice Guy and Simone Veil.#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/VeUCrrDJ5q— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
07:59 PM BST
Team GB or divorced Dad?
Not sure about those Team GB outfits. Baseball jacket with light blue jeans is a bit “divorced Dad looking to bounce back” for my tastes. Not sure why the Minions have muscled in on the act too. Anyone else feel like we’re losing a bit of discipline here? Get back to basics: Jean-Michel Jarre simultaneously smoking and eating a croissant, STAT.
Weather still miserable. You do feel slightly for the organisers, but I suppose this was always a very real risk with the whole non-stadium ploy.
07:53 PM BST
The minions are now playing with the Mona Lisa
Then having had enough fun with the famous Da Vinci painting (they leave it floating down the Seine (I’m thinking that’s not the real one...)) they indulge in some Olympic sports. That was a good section for anyone who wanted to know what the yellow creatures/things sounded like in French.
07:47 PM BST
Ireland share a boat with Iraq
And it’s Shane Lowry with the flag. Having played in last week’s Open at Royal Troon the Irish golfer will be more than used to this downpour.
07:45 PM BST
Will he/she remember to give back the torch?
Not sure I trust the masked person, to be honest, he/she has lost the three children and seems to looking for somewhere hard to find...
07:43 PM BST
It’s GB time!
Here’s the boat of Team GB, Tom Daley and Helen Glover look soaked but happy enough waving the Union flag.
We’re sharing this vessel with Grenada’s six athletes, Guam, and Guatemala, who’s vibrant green and blue gear is definite podium potential in terms of the Outfit Olympics.
07:40 PM BST
The masked man (who has seemingly lost the three children)
Has made his way to the Louvre.
The final torchbearer passes through the world's largest museum! The Louvre Museum holds treasures from all cultures and connects France to world. #OpeningCeremony #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/rZXvpOHKSq
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
07:39 PM BST
Thoughts with the pianist
Who we’re seeing at the moment play outside in the pouring rain. He’s earned his fee today...
07:38 PM BST
We are yet to see Team GB on TV coverage
But they are out on their boat as this pic illustrates. No prizes for guessing which film Helen Glover and Tom Daley are trying to recreate, fortunately there are no chances of icebergs in Paris today.
07:32 PM BST
We go back to seeing the boats on the Seine
And it looks wet, as in the heavens have opened. Ponchos (of the cheap see-through variety) are out in full force.
07:27 PM BST
Death metal’s Olympic debut
At last, a place in the Olympics for technical/death metal with that performance from Gojira, the authentic sound of modern France. Presumably Daft Punk unavailable.
Now so wet that water is beginning to pool on the Eiffel Tower-shaped stage here at the Trocadero, which is the site of the grand finale. Several puddles have formed so let’s hope all involved are wearing les bottles de marche.
Malian-French singer Aya Nakamura lightening the mood somewhat. Top marks for her sensible sandals.
07:25 PM BST
Sir Keir braving the rain without a poncho
Is he too cool for school?
07:24 PM BST
People are now on bendy sticks swinging from side to side
Apparently it’s referencing love. Interesting. Meanwhile there’s a large heart created in the Paris sky, that’s a more obvious reference to it being the ville de l’amour.
07:15 PM BST
It’s all very straight at the moment
No real wit or light-heartedness. It’s playing France: The Greatest Hits, namely referring to Les Miserables, the Reign of Terror, people doing the can-can, etc etc. I imagine it won’t be long before we see people on bicycles to remind everyone that the Tour de France takes place in France every year...
07:11 PM BST
We haven’t seen the team boats for while now
I assume they’re still floating their way down the Seine.
07:10 PM BST
Rain is hammering down now (it wasn’t in the pre-recorded pieces – unfortunate...)
Unfortunate that the pre filmed parts of this ceremony were done on a bright, clear day. It is making the jumps from live to video sections jarring in person and presumably on TV too.
Rain hammering down now. Worried about the athletes! Three hours of this on a roofless boat and some of them are sleeveless. Going to be a shame to cancel the 100m final because the field was decimated by an outbreak of the sniffles.
07:07 PM BST
The masked stranger who picked up the children in the boat
Is now going across Paris with the torch, not sure what he/she has done with the kids, though...
07:06 PM BST
It’s Notre Dame time
We’re now seeing the incredible work done to restore the magnificent medieval Catholic cathedral destroyed by fire in 2019. It’s due to reopen this December, I think...
Merci to the craftspeople working to restore the beauty of Notre-Dame. ❤️#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/Un1fr78IXd
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
07:04 PM BST
It looks all a bit Dunkirk
In that there are boats of all shapes and sizes, it seems as though they’ve got their hands on whatever boats they could find.
As I type that the biggest boat of the lot comes on the screen - it’s hosting Chile and China.
07:01 PM BST
Apparently Lady Gaga was performing...
...Mon truc en plumes originally sung by Zizi Jeanmaire, who, Wikipedia tells me...
was a French ballet dancer, actress and singer. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet Carmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in several Hollywood films and Paris revues. She was the wife of dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, who created ballets and revues for her.
The plethora of pink apparently represents La vie en rose. Glad we cleared that one up.
06:58 PM BST
Brazil have their own boat
And it’s a biggie.
06:55 PM BST
The children with the torch are now..
Wandering on the banks of the Seine having been picked up by that stranger on the boat. They look happy and safe enough, however...
06:53 PM BST
Bangladesh win gold for the smallest boat so far
It’s about the same size as the boat from Jaws, these athletes, however, do not ‘need a bigger boat’.
06:52 PM BST
A mix of athletes and ‘fun stuff’
This is a massive break with opening ceremony tradition, to get more or less straight into the prolonged introduction of every country section. By this time in 2012 we’d had the industrial revolution, Tim Berners-Lee, David Beckham speedboating down the Thames and a parachuting Queen. Surely it’s not Zizou, subway, torch, catacombs fin?
Perhaps the river format is going to allow the organisers to mix up the parade of athletes with the fun stuff? Interest palpably waning in the Trocadero and we’re only on to the Bs. Clouds looking ominous too.
06:51 PM BST
It’s Gaga time
The rumours were true! The American superstar is singing en Francais on the bank of the Seine and it’s all very cabaret. There are lots of dancers and pink pom poms...
06:47 PM BST
Aruba win best dressed so far...
The athletes from the Caribbean island are wearing red hats and snazzy light blue and yellow jackets.
The Bahamas win worst dressed (so far). They’re wearing what can only be described as a 1990s shellsuit...retro in the worst sense of the word.
06:45 PM BST
Weather update
The clouds have (sort of) parted and it’s dry! Hurrah! No need for ponchos of umbrellas, yet...
06:43 PM BST
A joint boat
This one is shared by Afghanistan, South Africa, Albania, Algeria, and Germany.
Happy families.
All the athletes look as though they’re enjoying themselves, waving their national flags in a frenzied manner, and why not...
06:41 PM BST
The first barge is, as always, Greece
They’re followed by the refugee team.
06:39 PM BST
Zizou is Bond...
Let me be (among) the first of many to say that Zinedine Zidane is clearly reprising the James Bond role from 2012. He’s like Daniel Craig, if he did Renault Clio adverts.
Something approaching a cheer when he appeared on screen from the dignitaries who have a scored tickets here. Significantly less warmth to the welcome for Emmanuel Macron.
06:39 PM BST
The children on the boat
Are back and now on the Seine.
06:38 PM BST
The show starts
With one of the all-time great footballers Zinedine Zidane running with the Olympic torch across Paris in a pre-recorded piece. While on the metro (which breaks down...) he passes the torch to three children who then take it down to the Paris Catacombs, scary...
From there we see them get on a boat and then we go live to the bigwigs, with Emmanuel Macron waving to the assorted dignitaries, just before the Austerlitz bridge is lit up by the colours of the tricolore.
Good start.
06:32 PM BST
The Beeb are showing memorable opening ceremonies
We see James Bond (aka Daniel Craig) from London 2012, Mohammed Ali from Atalanta 1996, and the guy with the self-designed jet pack from LA 1984.
Fair to say that tonight has a lot to live up to.
A reminder that there has been no dress rehearsal, it could be interesting...
06:26 PM BST
Andy Murray will be on the GB boat and here’s what he told the BBC
“I’ve really enjoyed my experiences at the Olympics. They have been some of the best weeks of my career. [I’d tell athletes coming to the Games for the first time] to chat to the other athletes and make the most of the chance [of being here] and to enjoy it too.”
06:16 PM BST
Some countries will not ‘need a bigger boat’
Twenty minutes to go and the athletes are onboard their vessels. Here’s canoeist Joe Clarke instigating an Olympic pin trade with his new friends from Spain.
A bigger boat than Joe is used to for this trip down the Seine, but some countries could have sent their delegation in one of his competition kayaks. Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia and Tuvalu have just one representative here each.
06:13 PM BST
Not much call for these in Qatar
The Emir of Qatar , Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, struggling with a poncho...
06:03 PM BST
Helen Glover and Tom Daley speak to the BBC
It’s fair to say that they are both pretty excited to be carrying the flag for Team GB.
Helen Glover on leading the British contingent...
“It cannot get nay better, it will be one of the highlights of my career.”
Tom Daley on the honour...
“[The 14-year-old me] wouldn’t believe that one day I’d be the flag bearer.”
05:58 PM BST
Spot the celeb...
05:43 PM BST
The glamour of reporting on the opening ceremony
05:36 PM BST
Ring of steel
A vast security operation costing £350 million has unfolded in recent days to counter potential threats – with the opening ceremony identified as the most high risk of all. The largest peacetime deployment of forces in France’s history involved some 75,000 soldiers, police and private security agents.
“We’re focused and we’re ready,” said General Lionel Catar, one of the military planners, before the showpiece opening.
A “ring of steel” is in place around Paris’s most famous spots to ensure competitors are protected as they progress down the River Seine in dozens of barges, in front of some 350,000 spectators.
Gérald Darmanin, France’s minister of the interior, said “the terrorist threat remains high” and that “a high level of vigilance” remains essential.
05:30 PM BST
Grey and rainy, not ideal...
The security operation around this ceremony is understandably thorough. The area close to the river route has been more or less locked down for eight days now and many of the roads in the middle of the city are closed. We cruised through on our media bus here, but had to pass through several checkpoints staffed by dozens of navy-clad police. Or, as they should be known: les cordon bleus.
There was one spell of sustained rain about half an hour ago, which was heavy enough to affect visibility. The most up-to-date forecasts are anticipating more of that in both time and volume any minute now.
The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly had expressed concern about the weather earlier this week, he said he was hoping for either clear skies and an Instagram-friendly golden hour or a proper storm, for added drama. Grey and rainy was his nightmare scenario, that seems like the probable outcome now.
05:27 PM BST
Who will be ‘entertaining’ us later?
Various performers will be involved at all stages of the event, including on the individual boats for the parade.
Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are expected to star. The duo are reportedly set to perform a version of Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose as part of a glittering conclusion to the first ever opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium.
Dion, who is French-Canadian, teased her appearance in a post on X, writing: “Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world. I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back!”
The city has been preparing for the unique ceremony for months, and over recent days the famous river has been increasingly hidden behind miles of chain-link fencing as part of a giant security operation.
Ticketed fans will have access to specially constructed stands on both sides of the river, while the ceremony’s conclusion will be beamed around the city via 80 giant screens.
05:14 PM BST
The US flag bearer will be none other than...
...LeBron James. One of the greatest basketballers of all time will lead the American team down the Seine.
LeBron James, Team USA Olympic Games Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony Flag Bearer. pic.twitter.com/0YuANutn1N
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 26, 2024
05:04 PM BST
Reminder of key times and what to expect
The show starts at 6.30 UK time, with TV coverage on the BBC getting under way at 5.45.
For the first time, the opening ceremony will take place outside a closed stadium, with an open-air parade of 160 boats – 94 of them carrying athletes – sailing 6km along the Seine at the heart of Paris. The parade will come to an end in front of the Trocadéro, where the remaining elements of the Olympic protocol and final shows will take place.
During the parade, performers in the ceremony will be with the delegations and passengers on the boats.
The outdoor concept also makes Paris 2024 the largest Opening Ceremony in terms of audience and geographical coverage.
04:59 PM BST
First Snoop Dogg, now...
...Pharrell Williams is getting a go with the Olympic torch. It seems American rappers are as likely as actual French people to carry the flame before the ceremony gets under way this evening.
There has been a lot of speculation over who will light the Olympic cauldron (Marie-Jose Perec, Zinedine Zidane among the possibilities...) but going on the fact Messrs Dogg and Williams were both given the honour of carrying the torch I am going to throw another name into the hat: Ice Cube?
04:45 PM BST
Sir Keir Starmer is greeted by Emmanuel Macron
BREAKING: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to the Élysée Palace ahead of the Paris Olympics.https://t.co/zLQ0IUoduw
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/PdNMSpcCat— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 26, 2024
04:39 PM BST
Queues and chaos
Not a great start for those fearing organisational chaos here in Paris, with seriously under-staffed security checks causing a massive queue into the press area for the Opening Ceremony. Yes, please play the world’s smallest violin for the intrepid girls and boys of the media. Some of us had to wait in a line for a while!
Last minute new sport for Paris 2024,
artistic queueing. Three pass-scanners attempt to corral thousands of pissy journalists. I'm afraid your brave Team GB duo of @jimw1 and I managed a disappointing time of 57 minutes pic.twitter.com/Y9kb6aRiDr— Thom Gibbs (@thomgibbs) July 26, 2024
We are in now, and stationed at the Trocadéro, just over the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. If the only Trocadero you are familiar with is the London version with its overpriced arcade machine and indoor rollercoaster, this one is... different. Better? Don’t think it’s a chain.
This will be where the ceremony concludes this evening which should be wonderful. Less wonderfully you cannot see any of the river from the press seats, where the majority of the jollity shall be taking place. Also the forecasted rain is looking pretty serious, due to start in earnest an hour from now and looks ominously like it will stick around for the duration. Thoughts and prayers for the laptops.
04:35 PM BST
A tall story
The Eiffel Tower will play a big part in tonight’s ceremony – standing at 330 metres high it is the tallest structure in Paris. But for the duration of the Olympics it has a rival in the height stakes: Victor Wembanyama.
The French basketballer is 7ft 4in tall and in a sport where height is a given, stands out as freakishly tall.
Wembanyama is the face of Paris 202, NBA rookie of the year, and has been likened to an ‘alien’.
Thom Gibbs has the lowdown on the beanpole here.
04:13 PM BST
Handing over
Right, my shift is done, I am going to hand you over to the very capable care of my colleague Greg Wilcox, who will take this live blog on down the Seine to the cauldron lighting and probable duet by Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, all without getting soaking wet...
04:10 PM BST
What is the parade route?
The opening ceremony river parade will travel east to west over a distance of 6km. It will depart from the Austerlitz bridge, beside the Jardin des Plantes, travelling around the two islands of Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité, and then passing under eight to 10 bridges and gateways to the end point in front of the Trocadéro.
03:57 PM BST
Olympic spirit
This Japanese fan does not look to have had his spirits dampened by talk of heavy rain and floods as he heads to pass through the security perimeter for the opening ceremony...
03:33 PM BST
Batten down the hatches!
Less than four hours to the start of the #Paris2024 Olympics opening ceremony and the rain returns. One forecast is for a fortnight's rain during just six hours. No cover for performers or spectators apart from dignitaries. pic.twitter.com/ccy1nVJsPl
— David Brown (@DavidhBrown) July 26, 2024
Forecast for Paris looks grim for later, but for now this is my viewpoint for the Opening Ceremony. Techies still stapling carpets and brilliant cleaning staff drying drenched tables with 3 1/2 hours to go pic.twitter.com/YpCpDd2xHS
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) July 26, 2024
03:19 PM BST
‘Disaster’ as flood warning issued for Paris
France’s meteorological office has issued a yellow alert, warning of rain and flooding in Paris, from 8pm tonight, L’Equipe reports.
Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that one meteorologist is calling it a “disaster” for the unprecedented open-air ceremony.
About 25mm (0.98in) to 30mm (1.18in) of rain is expected between 6pm and midnight on Friday during the three-hour opening ceremony attended by world leaders and global celebrities, the equivalent of 15 days of rainfall, weather forecaster Patrick Marliere said.
“It’s going to be a disaster for these few hours,” Marliere, the head of independent weather forecaster Agate Meteo, said on RMC radio.
“I’ve been running models for two hours, going full circle, comparing all weather models, but unfortunately everything is confirming this trend for the start and the end of this evening. We won’t be able to avoid it.”
12:07 PM BST
Snoop Dogg delights the crowds...
Beloved Olympian Snoop Dogg has had a go with the flaming torch in Saint-Denis this morning, just reward for his unforgettable silver medal in the judo at Atlanta in 1996. Or was it the unforgettable release of his second album Tha Doggfather in 1996? Either way, everyone seems delighted that he is in Paris. French rapper MC Solaar is also taking his turn today, which makes a little bit more sense.
Snoop Dogg carrying the Olympic torch is a vibe pic.twitter.com/ZP5fUVDvav
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) July 26, 2024
09:31 AM BST
Biggest security operation in France’s history
France has spent years planning for an Olympic opening ceremony of unprecedented complexity.
Around 45,000 police will be deployed at a ratio of one to every four or five spectators for a planned floating spectacle up six kilometres of the River Seine. Measures have extended to a lockdown and security ‘sweep’ of a protected loop from Ivry-Charenton to the Pont Gariglian several days in advance. Specialist state forces – understood to include police helicopters, scuba divers and snipers – have been used to secure the river and airspace and there will be around 2,000 private security focused on the lower quays and the Trocadéro.
In short, it is the biggest ever security operation for any event in France’s history.
Although there are contingencies – notably limiting the opening ceremony to the Trocadéro area – President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly stressed that threats and risks should not prevent France from “creating dreams” with its grand opening.
08:37 AM BST
‘Massive arson attack’ on France’s rail network
The big breaking news from France this morning is that the country’s railways appear to have been sabotaged in a “massive arson attack” hours before Olympics begin.
France’s train operator SNCF said its high-speed rail network has been hit by “malicious acts” and the situation would last “at least all weekend while repairs are conducted”.
Read our full report here.
08:28 AM BST
A huge day for France
Good morning and welcome to our rolling live coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris. After two days of preliminary action in rugby sevens, football, archery and handball, the sport is paused today and all eyes are on the opening ceremony. And what a ceremony it promises to be.
In a major break from tradition, the much-anticipated shindig will not take place in a stadium, but rather aboard a flotilla of boats – including those carrying the athletes – down the River Seine, with more than 300,000 spectators lining the river banks.
Of course this means a major security operation which has been planned for years and an almost unimaginable logistical challenge to ensure all runs smoothly. Olympic bigwigs, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo and of course French president Emmanuel Macron – who is hoping a successful Games can provide some respite from the political turmoil that has engulfed France this summer – will be praying that the audacious plans for tonight are delivered without any major hitches.
We’ll bring you latest on the ceremony here, including any news (and rumours) on who will be performing and who might have the ultimate honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron when the boats arrive at their finish point, opposite the Trocadero, across from the Eiffel Tower.
The opening ceremony is due to start at 6.30pm UK time.
Our crack team of reporters on the ground in Paris will be sending updates and also providing other news from around the Games, with a special focus of course on Team GB. It’s been a busy week already for them, with a litany of scandals and controversy – more on those later.
Of course Olympic Games do tend to be beset by doubts, problems and furore before they begin, with the actual sport usually bringing relief. So we will also be looking ahead to the start of competition proper tomorrow and which British athletes are in contention for glory.
Let the Games begin...
