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2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: Flying Olympic flame soars above Paris as Celine Dion wows crowds

By July 26, 2024No Comments

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are officially open and the Opening Ceremony was a spectacular showing of the athletes from the 206 Olympic delegations and the city of Paris. Lady Gaga and Celine Dion headlined the musical performances and French sports icons like Zinedine Zidane, Amélie Mauresmo and Tony Parker and international Olympic legends — among them Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comăneci and Rafael Nadal — were a part of the last legs of the Olympic torch relay, which ended with a flying cauldron lit to soar above the City of Light.

While the Games have been officially opened, you can relive all of the best moments — or see them for the first time — right here with Yahoo Sports, as NBC Sports presents the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony in its entirety in prime time.

Live75 updates

  • Celine Dion makes her triumphant return in Paris

    Atop the Eiffel Tower (where else?), Celine Dion makes her return to performing after years of struggling with Stiff Person Syndrome. And she sounds as incredible as ever.

  • Olympic cauldron has been lit, and it is flying, attached to a hot air balloon

    After several more handoffs between French Olympic legends, the flame is now flying high above Paris in spectacular fashion. Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner had the honor.

    Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell is at the Opening Ceremony and has this breakdown of the spectacular flying cauldron:

    “Olympic organizers said in informational material distributed to media that the cauldron was “a tribute to the first flight in a hydrogen-filled gas balloon,” which took place in Paris in 1783. In December of that year, the hot-air balloon became the first human-carrying aircraft when two of its French inventors, physicist Jacques Charles and engineer Nicolas-Louis Robert, took flight from Tuileries Gardens.”

  • Parker, Mauresmo joined by three French Paralympic legends

    The group is jogging the flame through Paris, led by three-time Olympic champion handball player Michael Guigou. Usually the flame is handed off, but the whole group continues to walk with the flame as it makes its way through the City of Light.

  • The Olympic Flame is back on land

    After Nadal and company took the flame for a boat ride, the French connections resumed with tennis great Amélie Mauresmo taking the flame through the Louvre and handed the flame off to NBA legend Tony Parker.

  • Where is the Olympic flame headed?

    Nadal left the Eiffel Tower with the flame and hopped on a boat, where he met Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comăneci, making the reverse commute from the earlier parade.

  • It’s been a while since we’ve seen Zidane (nearly three and a half hours), but he’s back with the torch, handing it off to … Rafael Nadal?!

  • Did you get any work done today?

  • Olympic flag makes its way to the Eiffel Tower

    Flags of participating countries are carried on the Iena bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)Flags of participating countries are carried on the Iena bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

    Flags of participating countries are carried on the Iena bridge during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Another uniform that was sadly missed on the broadcast comes from Guatemala. There are many national details in this one, with the athletes wearing blue shirts and blue shorts or a green dress with a little blue vest. The hats are also blue with a Guatemalan pattern on the underside of the brim. A step above the safari-style outfit, which is always a common theme among Olympic outfits from several countries.

  • With the parade of nations at an end, here are a few eye-catching uniforms that didn’t get their moment to shine on the NBC broadcast.

    Czech Republic’s uniforms are among the most admired. Bold colors and patterns, breathable fabric and design, and a jacket that goes with almost everything. Their athletes are well-dressed and comfortable.

  • Team France and their 571 athletes were wearing uniforms that included sleeveless blazers for the women. The French are known for their fashion, but those long sleeveless bl vests may not catch on in the United States.

  • The final three countries in the parade are Australia, Team USA and France, in that order. France finishes last as the host country; with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia, those countries are getting honored as future hosts.

  • Team USA’s uniforms were designed by Ralph Lauren again, and these three women’s soccer stars show exactly how they should be worn.

  • France makes its entry as the final delegation in the parade

  • Team USA has arrived

    Hope no one on Team USA is claustrophobic…that boat is jam-packed with American athletes!




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