Extraordinary ceremony
With pomp and splendor: The Olympic Games in Paris have opened
26.07.2024, 22:55
The Paris Olympic Games have officially begun. French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Summer Games open at the opening ceremony at the Trocadéro.
Pomp and splendor under the Eiffel Tower, a sea of boats and lights in the pouring rain, plenty of French national pride and a sung declaration of love from Lady Gaga to “La Piaf”: Paris did not let the chaos at the train stations and the bad weather spoil its huge party on the Seine. The Summer Olympics officially began with what was probably the most spectacular opening ceremony in history. President Emmanuel Macron and hundreds of thousands of eyewitnesses celebrated themselves and their city.
At 10:53 p.m., Macron, well-protected, spoke the decisive sentence at the Trocadero within sight of the Eiffel Tower: “I declare the Games of Paris open to celebrate the 33rd modern Olympics.” At 11:22 p.m., former top athlete Marie-Jose Perec and judo icon Teddy Riner lit the Olympic flame. After a downpour that lasted for hours, which even left some of the heads of state in the VIP box soaking wet, the starting signal was given for the mega sports festival that is intended to bring cheer in difficult times.
“In a world torn by war and conflict, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together this evening and unite the athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the members of the IOC refugee team,” said German IOC President Thomas Bach, calling for Olympic unity.
150 German athletes on the boat
600,000 spectators were originally planned for the revolutionary celebration on and along the Seine, but for security reasons the number was ultimately reduced to 320,000 in 124 stands. Nevertheless, it was by far the biggest party in Olympic history, following one of the smallest: at the opening ceremony of the 2021 “Corona Games” in Tokyo, only 1,000 invited guests attended the huge stadium, including 15 heads of state.
Now they had come in droves – although not all of them: US President Joe Biden, for example, was represented by his wife Jill. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj was also absent – the athletes from the war-torn country were celebrated with great applause on their boat trip. As a representative of Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined the approximately 120 heads of state and government present. The VIP stands, however, quickly emptied due to the rain.
Around 150 of the 429 qualified German athletes took part, and the boat with Team D and flag bearers Anna-Maria Wagner and Dennis Schröder sailed across the Seine in third place in front of more than 300,000 spectators. Paris is hosting Olympic competitions for the third time after 1900 and 1924. 329 medal decisions will be made by August 11.