Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy along the Seine River.
The lighting of cauldron involving a hot air ballon is shown during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday, July 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldPARIS --
Undeterred from the festivities, many of the hundreds of thousands of spectators huddled under umbrellas, plastic ponchos or jackets as the rain intensified, others danced and sang, and some dashed from their seats for shelter. Lady Gaga sang in a prerecorded performance, in French, with dancers shaking pink plumed pompoms, injecting a cabaret feel. To close the show, Celine Dion, standing under the Eiffel Tower, belted out her first live performance since the French-Canadian singer was diagnosed stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, at the end of 2022.
The ceremony celebrated women, including 10 golden statues of female pioneers that rose from giant pedestals along the river. Among them was Olympe de Gouges, who drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen in 1791 during the French Revolution. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and was guillotined in 1793.With the ambitious ceremony, the stakes for France were immense.
Still, as the show got underway, optimism soared that Paris -- true to its motto that speaks of being unsinkable -- might just see its gambles pay off. That's despite the soggy weather -- no other Summer Olympics opening ceremony has had rain since Helsinki in 1952. Usually during Olympic opening ceremonies, the parade of athletes takes place during a pause in the razzmatazz. But Paris shattered that tradition by having the parade and pageantry at the same time, blending sports and artistic expression.
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