Deputy Svischev: France failed to organize the opening ceremony of the Olympics
France failed to organize a good opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Paris, according to State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev. In a conversation with Lenta.ru, he criticized the preparation of the ceremonial event.
The French don’t know how to do it. Some liked it, some didn’t. The French organizers don’t have the experience, and maybe don’t even have the desire to hold the ceremony in such a large format as Russia did.
“What are the Olympic Games? It is a big sporting event for athletes, for people who could not get to the Olympics, for spectators, fans, so we had to try. Unfortunately, the French organizers and the organizing committee of the Olympic Games did not cope,” he said.
On the evening of July 26, the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games took place in Paris. For the first time, the event was not held at the stadium – the French side organized a boat procession along the Seine River with the participation of delegations of the teams that came to the competition.
At the end of the ceremony, Olympic champions Teddy Riner and Marie-Josée Perec lit the Olympic flame by rising in a hot air balloon into the sky above the city. Afterwards, singer Celine Dion performed Edith Piaf’s LʼHymne a lʼamour.
For the first time in 40 years, Russian TV channels will not broadcast the Olympics. As Sports.ru reported, this is due to the fact that many domestic athletes were not allowed to compete. 15 athletes still went to the Games, but they will compete under a neutral flag.
Source: Lenta
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