Paris Olympics 2024: Opening ceremony

Deutsche Welle

26 Jul 2024, 23:32

Photo: Tingshu Wang/REUTERS

The 2024 Olympics in Paris are ready to officially start as the opening ceremony begins in Paris.

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There are approximately 120 heads of states, sovereigns and heads of government expected tonight. French President Emmanuel Macron is here and while he hopes these Games will provide a "summer of French pride", it shouldn’t be forgotten that France is still in the remarkable position of hosting an Olympics without having a proper parliament after the snap election in early June. Also, the IOC faced trouble (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) after hotel staff in a luxury hotel where many IOC VIPs were staying went on strike days ago, claiming they haven’t had a pay rise in seven years. Never mind the Eiffel Tower, it is quite the backdrop to an Olympic opening ceremony.

No Russian or Belarusian athletes at the opening ceremony
Worth remembering that Russian and Belarusian athletes are not involved tonight, after an IOC ruling. Athletes from both countries are banned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but individuals can compete in Paris as neutrals. This is not an easy situation for any Ukrainian athletes competing in Paris, as our reporter Jonathan Crane revealed before the games started.

LeBron James and Coco Gauff get ready for the opening ceremony
With just around an hour to go before the boats motor off down the river, athletes are starting to get into their clothes for the opening ceremony. American flag bearers Coco Gauff and LeBron James look slick in their white blazers (with added waterproof cover), and have been given a pink sash. It's all happening.

Rain beckons for opening ceremony in Paris
According to many on the ground, including our very own Jonathan Crane, rain has come to Paris. Here's hoping the opening ceremony has plans to deal with wet weather, especially given the forceast says the raindrops won't be clear of Paris until midnight at the earliest. Mind you, given this has all cost somewhere around $10.8 billion (€10 billion), I imagine they have a plan or two to deal with rain.

Security has been a big topic for this Olympics. There are reportedly 45,000 officers at the opening ceremony tonight, and 44,000 barriers have been put up. QR codes are required for residents and others looking to gain access to the Seine. An elite squad of police have spent two years training for emergency situations. It's reportedly the largest deployment of security forces in French history. The aforementioned attack on the train network is a less than ideal start, but here's hoping a peaceful Games follows from here on out.

Opening ceremony with a surprise or two?
So much of the opening ceremony has been kept a secret, which if you think about it is pretty impressive in an age of insider knowledge and constant live streams.

Snoop Dogg was one of the final torch bearers, which represents quite the latest chapter for the famous rapper. He's in Paris as a reporter for American channel NBC, and I for one am excited to see what his coverage looks like this summer. Beautiful, I'm sure he hopes.

As for tonight, it looks like Lady Gaga is going to be performing tonight as photos have emerged of her warming up ahead of the start tonight. What a treat!

There has also been talk of Celine Dion being involved tonight, and performing Edith Piaf's classic "La Vie en Rose" with Gaga. Dion hasn’t performed live since 2020 and had her world tour cancelled in 2022 after announcing she was suffering from stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, so that would be quite the comeback.

Hours before the opening ceremony, some less than ideal news out of the Paris Olympics.

Firstly, travel chaos has descended upon Paris after arson attacks disrupted France’s high-speed rail network, causing delays across the country. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the situation would not affect the opening ceremony, but there are already reports of a few athletes set to miss out as a result of travel issues. Tough break, having an invite for the big night but not being able to make it.

Also, the International Testing Agency revealed today that a first-time Olympian judoka from Iraq tested positive for two anabolic steroids. More doping news is not great for all involved, especially not on the eve of the opening ceremony. The sports world is still not finished dealing with whether China covered up a doping scandal.

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