Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Highlights: PV Sindhu Leads Indian Contingent, Boat Parade, And More

The Paris 2024 Olympics began with a unique opening ceremony on the River Seine. India's PV Sindhu led the national team in a colourful boat parade past famous landmarks.

  • Amit Diwan
  • Editorial
  • Updated - 2024-07-27, 11:56 IST
paris olympics opening ceremony

The Paris Olympics 2024 started with a bang on Friday. For the first time, the opening ceremony took place on a river instead of in a stadium. Almost 7,000 athletes rode boats down the River Seine, passing by Paris's most famous sights.

Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Highlights

Despite some rain, huge crowds came to watch. About 300,000 people stood along the riverbanks, while another 200,000 watched from nearby buildings.

India's star badminton player PV Sindhu and table tennis champ Sharath Kamal led the Indian team in the parade. It was a proud moment for the country. A total of 78 Indian athletes and officials participated in the ceremony.

The ceremony was full of surprises. Famous singers Celine Dion and Lady Gaga gave amazing performances. Sports legends like footballer Zinedine Zidane, and tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams also made special appearances.

Pop icon Lady Gaga made a striking impression at the opening ceremony by performing the French song ‘Mon truc en plumes,’ originally sung by Zizi Jeanmaire in 1962. Her rendition received one of the day's loudest cheers.

Paris put its spin on Olympic traditions. Instead of a regular Olympic flame, they used a ring of fire carried by a hot air balloon. This was a nod to France's history of balloon flights.

The show highlighted everything Paris is famous for love, lights, art, and culture. It featured the Mona Lisa, parkour dancers, and even a bit of cabaret. Famous places like the Louvre Museum and Notre Dame Cathedral were part of the backdrop.

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Netizens React To Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony received mixed reactions. While many praised its unique river parade and cultural showcase, others were disappointed by the rain that dampened the event. Some spectators loved seeing Paris landmarks and stars like Lady Gaga, but others found the wet conditions challenging.

The ceremony mixed old and new, showing off Paris's history while bringing fresh ideas to the Olympics. It set an exciting tone for the sports events to come over the next two weeks. With this unforgettable start, the Paris Olympics are ready to inspire and entertain the world.

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