Let the Games begin!
The 2024 Paris Olympics had its ceremonial kickoff on Friday with the Opening Ceremony. Despite arson attacks on the French rail system just hours before the event and persistent rain throughout the day in Paris, the show still went on -- and what a show it turned out to be.
In a historic first, the Opening Ceremony took place on water rather than inside a stadium. Thousands of athletes from hundreds of participating countries traveled down the Seine River in boats for the Parade of Nations. That was followed by the lighting of the Olympic cauldron and an iconic return performance from Celine Dion on the Eiffel Tower.
Here's a full look back at some of the top moments from a memorable Opening Ceremony in France's capital city:
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Parade of Nations begins with plume of French-themed smoke
As a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke in the colors of the French flag rose over the top of Austerlitz Bridge, it drew a huge roar from the crowd gathered along the riverbanks. Giant jets of water spurted up from the river as the Greek delegation — as always — was the first boat under the bridge and along the 3.7-mile parade route.
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Among the Greek athletes was two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who became the country's first Black flagbearer.
Lady Gaga sings in French for ceremony's first musical act
Lady Gaga was the first of two global superstars to deliver a surprise performance. The 13-time Grammy Award winner kicked off the event's musical acts with a rendition of "Mon Truc En Plumes" (“My Thing With Feathers”) along the Seine River in honor of French singer, dancer and actor Zizi Jeanmaire.
Following her performance, the New York native shared the "special connection" she feels with French people and music.
"I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year," Lady Gaga wrote on X. "I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing such a special French song — a song to honor the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre.
"Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris."
Masked torchbearer ziplines across Paris skyline
The Olympic flame was in the possession of a masked torchbearer for a good portion of the ceremony. At one point, the mysterious figure ziplined across the Seine River to the Notre Dame cathedral.
The torchbearer's costume was inspired by several masked figures who have left their mark on French culture, including the Phantom of the Opera and Ezio from the video game series "Assassin's Creed." But their identity was never revealed.
Coco Gauff, LeBron James lead Team USA in Parade of Nations
Team USA had a long wait before joining the Parade of Nations. As host of the 2028 Olympics, the United States was second-to-last in the order of 200-plus countries ahead of 2024 host France.
When Team USA's time finally came, 2023 U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff and four-time NBA champion LeBron James held the American flag together on a boat featuring nearly 600 American athletes.
The 20-year-old Gauff became the youngest U.S. flagbearer in Olympic history.
Epic Eiffel Tower light show
Among the ceremony's several great spectacles was an Eiffel Tower light show.
After French President Emmanuel Macron declared that the Games were open, the iconic monument lit up the Paris night in a dazzling display.
Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, Rafael Nadal help deliver Olympic flame to the cauldron
The Olympic flame was passed off between several sports legends in the final moments of its monthslong journey to the cauldron. At the Eiffel Tower, Zinedine Zidane passed off the torch to Rafael Nadal, who then hopped on a boat with Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comăneci.
The star-studded group took the flame down the Seine River and passed it off to Amélie Mauresmo, who was back on land, for the French portion of the relay. Mauresmo, Tony Parker and several other French Olympians and Paralympians then traveled with the flame to the site of the cauldron at the Tuileries Garden.
Olympic cauldron takes off into air after being lit
The mystery as to who would be lighting the Olympic cauldron was revealed to be French Olympians Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec. Pérec is a three-time Olympic champion sprinter, while Riner owns three golds and five total medals in judo.
Pérec and Riner both received the flame from Charles Coste, the oldest living French Olympic champion at 100. After the duo of Pérec and Riner lit the cauldron, the ring of flames surprisingly took off into the Paris sky via hot-air balloon in a breathtaking moment.
The ring of flames spans around 23 feet in diameter and the balloon is about 100-feet tall. The flying cauldron is a nod to the first hydrogen-powered flight of a balloon that departed from the Tuileries Garden back in 1783.
According to Paris 2024, the cauldron will remain suspended nearly 200 feet in the air from sunset to 2 a.m. Paris time each day throughout the Games. The cauldron will be positioned on the ground and available to be seen up close from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Celine Dion closes out ceremony with iconic return performance
Like Lady Gaga, Celine Dion was also rumored to be part of the Opening Ceremony lineup. But that didn't take anything away from her performance.
After the Olympic cauldron was lit, Dion sang a rendition of “L’Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) by the French singer Édith Piaf from the Eiffel Tower. It marked the legendary French-Canadian singer's first live performance since 2020 due to an ongoing battle with stiff-person syndrome.
Three-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson, who was part of the NBC broadcast, was among those who were moved by Dion's triumphant return to the stage.
"If you know anything about what she's going through right now ... I'm so sorry I'm trying to hold it together. But that she got through that [performance] -- that was incredible," an emotional Clarkson said. "And in my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes. She's incredible."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
