The 2024 Olympic Games were opened with a long celebration. Superstars Lady Gaga and Céline Dion were also in attendance.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris began on the evening of July 26 with a spectacular opening ceremony lasting several hours. Countless performers, including acrobats and dancers, provided sensational performances during the never-ending celebration. World stars provided musical highlights and thousands of athletes sailed along the Seine.
The international delegations presented themselves on small and large boats, some with others and some alone. The athletes were cheered by onlookers along a parade route of around six kilometers, while a mysterious bearer of the Olympic torch, whose clothing was apparently based on the video game series “Assassin’s Creed” and “The Phantom of the Opera”, among others, made his way over the rooftops of Paris.
Lady Gaga was the first highlight
After an initial block of delegations, the first big surprise of the evening was seen quite early on. US megastar Lady Gaga (38) walked down the steps of a golden staircase – initially hidden by dancers – to then present Zizi Jeanmaire’s (1924-2020) revue piece “Mon truc en plumes”.
Apparently, the rain that started to fall didn’t dampen the good mood during the ceremony. Those responsible for the opening ceremony livened up the party around the Seine with dozens of performances and performances.
The anonymous torchbearer lit fireworks to herald a rousing performance by the Malian-French star singer Aya Nakamura (29), accompanied by a band. Dancers from the Moulin Rouge dressed in pink danced the cancan on the shore and as the evening progressed there were many other light-hearted performances – from breakdancing to folk dancing – with a light show. Of course, a small fashion show was not to be missed in the city of fashion. A sometimes loud and sometimes quiet spectacle between sport and creative ideas such as a colorful and absurd interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus and a metal horse that rode along the Seine to represent the Olympic spirit.
Moving performance by Céline Dion
The grand finale of the opening ceremony was the raising of the Olympic flag in front of the Eiffel Tower. A 60-member choir from Radio Fance performed the Olympic anthem with 90 musicians from the French National Orchestra. After French President Emmanuel Macron (46) declared the games open, there was another spectacular light and laser show at the Eiffel Tower.
Judoka Teddy Riner (35) and athlete Marie-José Pérec (56) were finally allowed to light the Olympic flame on a giant balloon that rose into the Parisian sky, after other sports greats such as Zinédine Zidane (52), Rafael Nadal (38), Serena Williams (42), Carl Lewis (63) and Charles Coste (100), the oldest living Olympic champion, were among the final torchbearers.
Under the Olympic rings shining on the Eiffel Tower, Céline Dion (56) finally provided the final highlight of the celebration. A moving comeback by the singer, who suffers from stiff person syndrome, who had already sung at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and had withdrawn in recent years. Dion had previously stressed several times that she wanted to fight her way back. She was “firmly determined to be back on stage one day,” she declared in March 2024. Dion marked the emotional and crowning conclusion of the celebrations with her version of Édith Piaf’s (1915-1963) “L’Hymne à l’amour”.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
