PARIS: Celebrating its reputation as the cradle of the revolution, Paris opened its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rainy, rule-breaking opening ceremony packed with stars and fantasy along the Seine.
The occasional showers – the first rain at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in more than 70 years – did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the athletes, some of whom held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river, demonstrating the city's resilience as authorities investigate suspected acts of sabotage against France's high-speed rail network.
Athletes from Saudi Arabia will compete in four sports at the Games – athletics, equestrian, swimming and taekwondo. Here you can read a guide with all the information about them, their preparation and their Olympic schedule.
In addition, dozens of Arab athletes are taking part in this year's Games. You can check out Arab News' guide to the top male and female competitors representing the Middle East and North Africa.
The mood ahead of the ceremony was dampened by widespread travel disruptions caused by coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines, French authorities said, and the weather was not good either.
Still, crowds thronged the banks and bridges of the Seine, watching from balconies with loud “oohs” and “ahs” as the Olympic teams paraded in boats along the waterway, which became increasingly choppy as the weather worsened.
Many of the hundreds of thousands of spectators were not deterred by their festivities and huddled under umbrellas and jackets as the rain got heavier, others danced and sang, and some jumped from their seats to seek shelter.
“I invite everyone: dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, let yourselves be inspired by the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit of living in peace,” said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.
French President Emmanuel Macron opened the Olympic Games and a breathtaking light show on the Eiffel Tower made up for the rainy start.
French soccer star Zinedine Zidane passed the torch to another legend, French Open tennis record holder Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard took a boat ride with Americans Serena Williams and Carl Lewis to start the final torch relay.
French sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron.
Throughout the Olympics, you can follow all the action from Paris here in the dedicated sports section of Arab News.
Read more about the highlights below (all times BST):
22:30 – This concludes our live coverage of the opening ceremony of the undoubtedly exciting Olympic Games in Paris.
Follow our coverage of all the action here over the next two weeks.
22:30 – A look at this magnificent Olympic cauldron. It imitates fire with light and water and will be visible on the Paris skyline for the next fifteen days.
22:28 – Canadian singer Céline Dion ends the show with her singing on the Eiffel Tower.
22:24 – The French Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner light the Olympic cauldron.
22:19 – Torchbearers carry the flame to the destination, where it remains for the duration of the Games.
22:05 – Paris welcomes the Olympic Games with illuminated Eiffel Tower
21:55 – Zinedine Zidane hands the Olympic torch to French Open record winner Rafael Nadal, who has just passed it on to his tennis colleague Serena Williams. It is not far now until the all-decisive moment of its lighting…
20:00 – We have more pictures of the Saudi delegation. It looks very wet in Paris tonight. But the mood remains good!
Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait also sailed past in the athletes’ parade.
19:15 – In case you missed it in all the drama, Lady Gaga sang a catchy little jazz song on the banks of the Seine…
18:45 – Our first glimpse of Arab delegations on the Seine! The teams from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain pass by…
18:30 – We are on the way!
18:15 – The team from Saudi Arabia beams with joy at their performance at the opening ceremony.
(Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee)
18:00 – There are about 30 minutes left until the ceremony begins and the crowds are beginning to gather on the banks of the Seine. It won't be long now.
(AP)
(AP/Reuters)
17:30 – One of the highlights of the pre-events is the Olympic torch relay. It travels around the world from Greece before ending its journey in the host city, in this case Paris. Watch a clip of its journey below:
17:15 – Despite the bumpy start on Friday and the threat of a deluge in the French capital, the organizers of the opening ceremony remain optimistic. And that's probably a good thing…
16:45 – Actress Michelle Yeoh has shared a heartwarming message about the Olympic refugee team that will represent more than 100 million displaced people worldwide.
16:35 – We are still being told who will be performing at the ceremony. Any predictions? Let us know at @ArabNewsSport…
16:30 – French President Emmanuel Macron is receiving several dozen heads of state and government at the Élysée Palace. Macron's office said the reception at the Élysée Palace was “an opportunity for France to send a message of peace and tolerance as 10,500 athletes from all over the world gather to take part in the world's biggest event.”
About 100 heads of state and government and heads of international organizations are expected to attend the subsequent ceremony.
(AFP)
16:15 – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that he strongly condemned the saboteurs who attacked the French TGV high-speed train network and hoped that the perpetrators would be identified quickly. You can read about the arson attack here.
16:00 – The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, took part in the Olympic fire walk shortly before the opening ceremony.
3:45 p.m. – On French television, Pharrell Williams can be seen carrying the Olympic flame to the Cathedral of Saint-Denis on the northern outskirts of Paris.
His performance follows that of superstar rapper Snoop Dogg, who was given the honor of carrying the flame on Friday. You can read more about that below. Hopefully he didn't drop it like it was hot…
(X/@Paris2024)
Tents for the opening ceremony
Hours before the opening ceremony began, people began arriving at the Seine looking for the best seats in the spectator areas. Some brought folding chairs, books, sandwiches and water.
Monica Merino, 57, came to Paris from Madrid for the Olympics and said it was the first time she had seen the opening ceremony in person.
“We have visited Paris many times and it is very different now because it is deserted and full of military and police,” she said.
Giannis avoids train problems
Greek basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was chosen as one of his country's national players, was able to completely avoid the train problems on Friday.
He left Lille on Thursday, travelling in a bus convoy along with players from several other teams. A team spokesman said several teams had decided to travel at the same time for security reasons.
The German men's team boarded buses for the ceremony on Friday morning. They had not planned to travel by train. The plan was to return to Lille immediately afterwards to face Japan on Saturday.
A record 9.7 million tickets have been sold for the Paris Olympics, but more are available
After a rocky start last year, organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics said they had broken the record for most tickets sold or allocated in the event's history. And yet tickets are still available.
According to the organizers, 9.7 million tickets were sold or allocated for this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games, including 8.7 million for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and one million for the Paralympic Games.
A total of ten million tickets have been put on sale for the Paris Olympic Games, meaning that despite the historic popularity of the sporting event and the unprecedented size of this year's competitions, many seats will still remain empty.
However, the total number of tickets sold is likely to increase as tickets are still available for some of the 45 sports.
Snoop Dogg rocks
The rapper turned NBC Olympics correspondent was one of the last torchbearers before the opening ceremony, carrying the flame in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris.
In an interview before his relay leg, Snoop Dogg vowed to “show his best side.”
“I will do my best. I will be able to breathe slowly to walk quickly and hold the torch with a smile on my face because I am aware of how prestigious this event is,” he said.
Two trains carrying Olympic athletes stopped on their way to Paris
Two trains carrying Olympic athletes to Paris on the western Atlantique line were stopped hours before the opening ceremony, the railway company SNCF said.
One train was cancelled and authorities hope the other will be operational.
* With AP
