Paris vibrated with an Olympic party under the rain

Zinedine Zidane, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion. Paris vibrated this Friday with an unprecedented opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games on the banks of the Seine, marred at times by the other protagonist of the event: the rain.

At 7:30 p.m. local time, the crowd bursts into applause as football star Zinédine Zidane appears on the screens along the Seine and on the televisions of millions of viewers around the world.

It is the starting shot for the first ceremony outside an Olympic stadium, which, to the sound of French anthems, electronic music with a French Touch rhythm and even the cancan, is enjoyed by more than 300,000 people on its quays and bridges.

“We are privileged,” says Mexican Selene Martinez, sitting in the front row of a spectator stand near the Louvre Museum, alongside her partner Israel Tejada. “I have an impressive adrenaline”he adds.

The athletes’ boats quickly began to sail up the 6-kilometre riverbed of the Seine to the applause of the public, especially the refugee and French delegations, and some boos, including from Argentina, AFP noted.

On the Pont du Carrousel, where some 3,500 people watch the spectacle after paying up to several thousand euros per seat, the boats of the impressive delegations from Brazil and the United States are cheered, despite the persistent rain.

“How exciting! We are in Paris. It is the first time I have seen this. It is exciting to see all these people federating with sport,” says Michèle Dufour, a 62-year-old volunteer for the organization, who applauds each team.

All the elements for the party are there. Flags of the participating countries on the seats, which the public waves without hesitation, food trucks and drink stands to replenish energy.

And Lady Gaga, in a black feathered costume, opens the dance of international artists performing at the foot of a staircase of the Seine “My trick in feathers”a song by Zizi Jeanmaire, emblematic of French music hall.

A performance that met the expectations of Maximilian and Dylan, two 29-year-old Parisians who paid more than 1,600 euros (1,730 dollars) per person to attend the ceremony near the Invalides.

“We are very excited. We are expecting a great show, full of emotions. We are both hypersensitive and we will surely cry,” predicts the first, a Franco-Colombian, before the start.

Dancers, circus artists, singers such as Franco-Malaise Aya Nakamura and even an articulated horse meet on rooftops, docks and bridges along the entire route.

“I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s really modern and cheerful. I was expecting something more French,” Nonna Kallee, a 34-year-old resident, told AFP.

Portuguese Pedro Ferraz, 48, is not of the same opinion. Taking shelter under a spectator stand to escape the rain, he says, disappointed, that the ceremony is “very French”.

“It’s better to be in a stadium than here, where we have to watch it on the big screens”adds the man, wrapped in a clean garbage bag lent by the cleaning services.

“Celine! Celine!”

Impatiently, on the banks of the Seine, the public shouts “Celine! Celine!” waiting to see the return of the Canadian singer on stage, one of the great unknowns of the night.

They did not leave disappointed. Celine Dion closed the show by singing Edith Piaf’s “Ode to Love” from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, while the Olympic cauldron rose in a balloon in the sky of Paris.

From the Pont du Carrousel, where the balloon flies over the rooftops of the Louvre Museum in a postcard-perfect image, many couples take romantic photos, hug each other or enjoy the final flourish.

“I am very excited. It has been a spectacle all night and seeing the flame from here, it is great, magnificent,” says Belgian Michiel Bearelle, 33, with his eyes shining.

More than 45,000 police officers and gendarmes ensured security at the ceremony, in addition to 10,000 soldiers and some 1,900 foreign police officers, as well as volunteers from the organization.

“We want to correct the image given during the Champions League final (in 2022) with a good organisation”said Hatim Berradi, a 30-year-old volunteer.

The historic opening ceremony was the first challenge. Now it’s time for the sporting competition, leading up to the final ceremony on August 11.