Colorful white, red, and blue fireworks lit up the Austerlitz bridge, where the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics took place. The parade of Olympic teams followed, with Greece traditionally leading the way on a boat, followed by the Refugee Team.
American star Lady Gaga made an appearance to thunderous applause at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games. Surprisingly, she did not sing Edith Piaf’s “La vie en rose”, but instead performed a big hit from French music hall, “Mon truc en plumes” by Zizi Jeanmaire.
A few minutes before the opening ceremony began, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, arrived at the VIP stand set up at the Trocadéro, on the opposite bank of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.
Things didn’t start off smoothly: a massive attack on various points of the railway network crippled most of the high-speed trains, leaving 800,000 passengers stranded and disrupting traffic with London. In Paris, major stations like Montparnasse are facing hours of delays. Additionally, unexpected weather forecasts have diverted from the norm, with almost certain rain expected during the ceremony. A nasty surprise, which was quite predictable considering the season, with summer never really kicking in.
“A massive attack to paralyze the railways,” denounced the railway company SNCF. It is estimated that many of the 800,000 stranded passengers are among the 320,000 who will be present tonight on the banks of the Seine to witness the Ceremony, starting at 7:30 PM and lasting 4 hours. Initial investigations point to “far-left groups,” likely linked to the “ecological” protest. The modus operandi, incendiary devices used in strategic network points, also suggest possible internal collusion within the company.
Few words from the president of the Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, on the weather conditions: “We will cope,” he said while looking at the gray, cloudy sky. A yellow alert in the morning for the scheduled press conference of the committee, with Estanguet, ceremonies director Thierry Reboul, and artistic director Thomas Jolly expected to be present: however, the appointment was canceled without official explanations twenty minutes before it was due to start. The weather may have forced a review of certain aspects of the ceremony, as there is no real plan B for rain.
Security measures are in place to ensure safety for the audience and athletes who will parade on 85 boats – Italy sharing theirs with Israel and several armed Israeli security officials – with 45,000 police officers and gendarmes, 2,000 private agents, 1,000 municipal officers, and 10,000 military personnel. Divers, mine-clearance divers, and sharpshooters on helicopters are also on duty. A hundred heads of state and government will be in the official stand on the Trocadéro esplanade, facing the Eiffel Tower. Among them, Sergio Mattarella, who inaugurated Casa Italia this morning, the headquarters for the Italian team at the Olympics: “This Casa Italia – said the President of the Republic – demonstrates how our country participates wholeheartedly in the Olympics and showcases Italian excellence.” He then had lunch at the Italian stronghold in the Bois de Boulogne with 5 Italian sports ambassadors.
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