Olympic Games 2024 began after dazzling opening ceremony on the banks of the River Seine in Paris.
Paris Olympics 2024 began with a delightful opening ceremony last night. Despite heavy rains that lashed Paris as the ceremony started, spectators stayed put to witness the once-in-a-lifetime grand event. President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, declared the Paris Olympic Games 2024 open in an unconventional ceremony that saw around 7,000 athletes parade in boats down the River Seine in Paris. The Olympic flame was lit by three-time judo champion Teddy Riner.
The Indian contingent was led by P.V. Sindhu and Sharath Kamal. Eighty artists from the Moulin Rouge performed the iconic dance in pink costumes that dated back to the 1820s. Moreover, 500 dancers performed around the Pont Notre-Dame and Paris City Hall. Aya Nakamura, one of France’s greatest pop stars, and the orchestra of the Republican Guard also performed on the Pont des Arts. It was the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga who set the pulses racing with a mesmerizing show.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony took place outside the main stadium and along a river. The Parade of Nations ended with Australia, hosts of the 2032 edition of the Games in Brisbane, and the United States of America, host of the next edition of the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, bringing up the rear along with hosts France.
The Olympic cauldron, stylized as a flaming hot air balloon and situated in the Gardens of the Tuileries in central Paris, was lit by the final torchbearers: Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, signaling the official start of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The ceremony went on for nearly four hours, showcasing French culture, literature, and heritage.

Paris 2024 will be the first gender-equal Olympic Games in history, as the same number of men and women will compete over the next two weeks. Notably, every Paris 2024 medal is adorned with a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower.