France dazzles world with colourful, vibrant Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Paris: The city of Paris turned into a colossal amphitheatre, and the iconic river Seine served as a track for the athletes' parade as France showcased its cultural diversity, spirit of revolution, impeccable craftsmanship and architectural heritage in a riveting opening ceremony for the 33rd Olympic Games here on Friday.

The spectacle started with a dreamy break from tradition as 'Parade of Nations' kicked off the proceedings in which athletes from 205 countries and one refugee team sailed down the Seine on boats despite heavy rain, in the run-up to and during the ceremony, threatening to play spoilsport.

The ceremony also gave a sweet nod to 'Hindi' as it was among the six languages used in infographics to pay tribute to the contribution of prominent French women during the segment titled 'sisterhood'.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open, marking the formal beginning of competitions for the next 16 days.

After keeping it a secret till the end of the ceremony that lasted four hours, French judo great Teddy Riner and sprint legend Marie-Jose Perec jointly lit the Olympic cauldron, symbolic of the most gender-neutral Games. The cauldron was attached to a giant hot-air balloon, which lifted off into the Paris night.

Before that French football legend Zinedine Zidane handed the torch to Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal who sailed down the Seine along with another tennis legend Serena Williams and former track star Carl Lewis.

More than a dozen former French sporting greats changed hands before wheelchair-bound Charles Coste, the oldest French Olympic champion at 100, took the flame to be handed to Riner and Perec.

The highlight of the unconventional and daring opening ceremony was without doubt the athletes' march on the Seine river.

The show began with camera panning to French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach after World Cup-winning football legend Zinedine Zidane was shown sprinting down the streets of Paris with the Olympic flame in a pre-recorded video.

The six kilometer parade began from Austerlitz bridge and 85 boats carried more than 6800 athletes amid loud cheers from the gathered crowd. A good number of athletes also skipped the incredible show due to their competitions on Saturday.

The sequence of arrivals followed the French alphabetical order. The first to arrive was the Greek contingent, for being the spiritual home of the Games, followed by the Refugee team. France, as host country, came last to a boisterous cheer from the home crowd. The 2028 Olympics host USA preceded France. Australia, which is hosting the 2032 Games came just before USA.

The Indian contingent was led by two flag-bearers -- two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and table tennis legend A Sharath Kamal and was 84th on the call sheet. The women in the contingent were draped in sarees, while the men sported the traditional 'kurta-payjama' in the colours of the national flag.

A total of 78 Indian athletes and officials participated in the ceremony.

The boats passed through the iconic landmarks of the city such as the restored Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was gutted in a fire five years ago, the iconic Louvre Museum and also a few of the Games venues.

In April 2019, the images of the Cathedral on fire and the fall of its spire had shocked the world.

American Pop superstar Lady Gaga was among the first international artists to enthral the assembled crowd. The ceremony was helmed by artistic director Thomas Jolly.

Amid the colourful proceedings, a mysterious torch-bearer also became a focus of attention as he darted around the city and its most famous landmarks, holding the flame.

He also crossed the Seine from the Ile Saint-Louis on a zip-wire after the cabaret performers completed their act.

Adding an element of childlike fun to the ceremony were the world-famous Minions and the missing Mona Lisa, which was ultimately found floating on Seine.

The bridges dotting the parade route featured dance performances for the fans, who had gathered at different spots after more than two lakh free tickets were distributed aside from the over one lakh that were sold.

A glimpse of the workshops of the Monnaie de Paris, where the medals for the Games have been forged, was presented to honour the city's famed craftsmanship. A total of 5,084 medals are being produced for 2024 edition of the Games and all of them will have a piece of the Eiffel Tower.

The ceremony also had a political theme in the segment titled 'emancipation', which was an ode to the 18th century 'French Revolution', triggered by the then monarch King Louis XVI's profligacy.

A figurine of his executed wife Marie Antoinette's decapitated torso was part of the act.

Antoinette is infamously quoted to have said, "Let them eat cake", when told about the financial distress of French commoners at that time.

The organisers had promised an unforgettable spectacle, overcoming unprecedented logistical and security challenges to make an entire city the venue of the ceremony.

The organisers have claimed that the ceremony will be the biggest in Games history with more than 300,000 people watching on the banks of the Seine and billions tuned in on television.

This is the third time Paris is hosting the Olympics after 1900 and 1924.

India is being represented by 117 athletes, including 47 women, in the sporting spectacle.