The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony went off smoothly, despite the rain, and officially marked the beginning of the world’s biggest sports spectacle, which will take place until August 11.
The roughly four-hour ceremony that was broadcast live on NBS Sport, saw Paris 2024 make history by becoming the first modern Olympic Games to have its opening ceremony outside of a stadium.
The organisers chose the iconic River Seine as the stage for the biggest open-air show before a sports event.
The Olympic cauldron, which was a hot air balloon, was lit by the Olympic flame that had been carried by several athletes, and lifted into the Paris night sky, officially marking the start of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Athletes arrived via boat, cruising down the River Seine for the Parade of Nations.
The ceremony highlighted historic Paris landmarks, including the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral and the Louvre.
A total of 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Parade of Nations.
85 Boats carrying national delegations sailed along the 6km route, giving the over 6,800 athletes a glimpse of some of the official games venues.
The athletes wore colourful and traditional attire to showcase the diverse styles and cultures of the participating countries.
Greece, the country where the ancient Olympic Games originate from, led the Parade of Nations, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, which debuted at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and also participated in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The team consisted of 37 athletes hosted by 15 countries including Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In Rio, the team marched second-to-last, while in Tokyo, they moved up to march second.
This year, their presence continued to symbolise hope and perseverance, as they paraded immediately after Greece.
Apart from special exceptions like Greece and the Refugee Olympic Team, the order of countries in the Parade of Nations was determined alphabetically according to the host country’s language, French.
This led to some interesting placements. South Africa, known as l’Afrique du Sud in French, paraded between Afghanistan and Albania.
Similarly, Germany, referred to as l’Allemagne in French, also appeared in the ‘A’ section.
Uganda, with flag bearers Gloria Muzito and Charles Kagimu, came 138th among the countries, following Oman, since the country’s name in French is Ouganda.
Muzito was chosen by the Uganda Olympic Committee to bear the country’s flag at the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, becoming the fourth swimmer in a row to carry Uganda’s flag.
Together with cyclist Kagimu, they proudly carried the Uganda flag, leading a team of the country’s athletes along the River Seine.
Uzbekistan, referred to as Ouzbekistan in French, came after Uganda.
At the Olympics, the host country traditionally marches last in the country delegations.
This year, hosts France sailed last in the Parade of Nations. They will be represented by a team of 573 athletes, the second largest at this year’s tournament.
Future host countries also traditionally march at the end, just before the host country.
The United States, which will host the 2028 Olympics, sailed second-to-last. It will be represented by a contingent of 592 athletes, the largest at this year’s Olympics.
Flag-bearers for the United States were LeBron James and Coco Gauff.
Australia, which will host the 2032 Olympics, were the third last after Zimbabwe and has a delegation of 460 athletes at this year’s games.
Despite the rain, the Olympic spirit prevailed, with athletes and spectators braving the weather to celebrate this historic event.
The boats floating on the River Seine showcased incredible Parisian scenes as they passed storied landmarks on their journey to the end of the Parade of Nations at the Trocadero, with an Olympic-rings-adorned Eiffel Tower serving as the backdrop.
Much of the city was used as part of the performances, including videos of a torchbearer running across the city’s rooftops and through iconic Paris locations.
American singer Lady Gaga and French music icon Aya Nakamura performed during the intervals, while stars like Snoop Dogg carried the Olympic torch.
Guadeloupean singer Axelle Saint-Cirel sang ‘La Marseillaise,’ France’s national anthem.
As the sun set, Paris shone through the raindrops. The Olympic Torch passed down the illuminated Seine, and the Eiffel Tower’s light show dazzled with lasers and dancing beams.
The night culminated with Celine Dion’s return to the stage, performing “L’Hymne à l’amour” at the base of the Eiffel Tower.
This was her first performance since announcing her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome in 2022, and her performance was a powerful close to the ceremony, leaving spectators with goosebumps as her voice echoed along the Seine.
NBS Sport will broadcast live coverage of most events of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics until the close of the competition on August 11, with special emphasis on Ugandan athletes representing their country.
