The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics held on Friday (26/7/2024) night stole the attention of a number of spectators around the world. Thousands of athletes paraded on boats and various unique performances were performed along the Seine River. Although the opening ceremony was over, there were several moments that are still being discussed on social media. Here is a summary of five moments that were in the spotlight at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Poured by rain since the beginning of the Opening Ceremony
The 2024 Paris Olympics were marked by heavy rain that fell suddenly. The rain forced the audience, important guests, and a number of athletes to wear raincoats and umbrellas. Fortunately, the event went smoothly and the performers were still able to show off even though they were soaked.
One of them, classical pianist Alexandre Kantorow, performed dramatically, because he performed the work Jeux d’eau or water play by Maurice Ravel in the pouring rain. Not only Kantorow, the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was also in the spotlight for refusing to wear a plastic raincoat. Netizens considered his actions very representative of the British when facing bad weather.
Quoted from France24, Saturday (7/27/2024), the Coordinator of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Thomas Jolly stated that his party had prepared the choreography of the show carefully. However, there was one factor that did not escape his planning, namely the weather factor. Although the weather forecast showed that Paris would be sunny for several days because of the summer, it rained beyond predictions.
Marry metal music with French history
The performers at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics raised the theme of epic French history but colored by bloodshed. One of the most highlighted was a musical performance that combined themes from the historical novel Les Misérables with heavy metal music by the band Gojira. The performance opened with dancers who were seen walking along the Paris sewers, where the main character of the story, Jean Valjean, evaded the police for the crime of theft.
The show became even more epic when a red-dressed opera dancer without a head appeared on the screen. It is known that the figure is a representation of Marie Antoinette. She was the last queen of France who was involved in the history of the French Revolution.
Zidane Zidan, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams as torchbearers
The torchbearer figure is one of the most awaited in sports opening ceremonies, because it is usually carried out by athletes who have achieved and are legends. At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the torchbearers included athletes Zidane Zidan, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams.
Zidane Zidan is a soccer athlete who once led France to become champions of the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Cup. He also won the FIFA World Player of the Year title three times. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is a tennis player from Spain who made history with 14 wins in the French Open. Like Nadal, Serena Williams is also an American tennis athlete who has won three Grand Slam titles at the French Open.
The Olympic Cauldron is lit with hot air balloons
The procession of lighting the flame in the Olympic cauldron is the centerpiece of the opening ceremony of this prestigious event. Each country that hosts this sporting event has a different way of lighting the centerpiece of the event. Therefore, the moment of lighting the Olympic Cauldron is highly anticipated every year.
The procession of lighting the flame that marked the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics was lit by former Olympic athletes Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. The crater, which is shaped like a ring of fire with a diameter of seven meters, then floats with the help of a 30-meter-high hot air balloon. The use of hot air balloons was chosen as a tribute to the Montgolfier brothers, the first French balloonists in 1783.
Celine Dion’s Return
Celine Dion’s appearance at the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics was her first since she took a break due to battling the rare disease Stiff Persin Syndrome since 2022. Despite not fully recovering, the Canadian singer performed stunningly by singing Edith Piaf’s “Hymn to Love” from the Eiffel Tower. With perfect intonation and tone, she sang the song with all her heart as the hot air balloon carrying the Olympic Cauldron soared high in the Paris sky.
