Today: 7 October 2025
27 July 2024
4 mins read

Paris Dazzles World With Colourful Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris is hosting the Olympics for the third time after 100 years and the city is leaving no stone unturned to make it a big success.

Let the Games begin! Amid thunderclouds and heavy rains, the 2024 Paris Olympics got off to a stunning start as the Organising Committee (OC) made sure that the world got to see why the French capital is called ‘la Ville Lumiere’ — the city of light.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony didn’t take place in a stadium; it was held in the heart of the city along its main artery: the Seine river.

The event started with representatives from Greece leading the athletes from nearly 200 countries in the Parade of the Nations on boats on the river.

And it was the American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga who set the pulses racing with a mesmerising show, setting the stage for more scintillating performances to come in what is expected to be a nearly three-hour ceremony showcasing the French culture and heritage.

The global superstar sang the French classic ‘Mon truce en plume’ by Zizi Jeanmaire and received thunderous cheers from the fans who had lined up the riverbank since the afternoon.

The ceremony was bold, original and no doubt unique. Taking on a new guise, the parade of athletes was held on the Seine with boats for each national delegation. These boats were equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close.

A majority of the 10,500 athletes crossed through the centre of Paris, the overall playing field for the Games on which these competitors will display their sporting prowess over the next 16 days. The parade came to the end of its 6-km route in front of the Trocadero.

Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers allowed everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this show reverberating throughout the French capital.

(Source: X@Paris2024)

Athletes onboard the parade boats got glimpses of some of the official Games venues, including Parc Urbain La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and lastly the Iena Bridge where the parade will come to a stop before the ceremony’s finale at the Trocadero.

But the best part of the ceremony was when legendary Zinedine Zidane passed the Olympic Flame to Rafael Nadal. The crowd went berserk and shouted their lungs out, cheering for the two stars.

The torch was then taken down the Seine in a boat with Nadal, Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci.

At last, the Games were declared open.

  • Rain pain, no way!

Rain tried to spoil the mood of the organisers but the fans remained on their seats to see the history in the making.

Notably, Paris is hosting the Olympics for the third time after 100 years and the city is leaving no stone unturned to make it a big success.

  • Indian contingent led by P.V. Sindhu and Sharath Kamal

As many as 78 Indian athletes and officials from 12 disciplines participated in the parade. Women athletes were wearing blue sarees while the men were in blue blazers and blue trousers.

  • Action begins on Saturday

Indian athletes will be in action on the first day of the quadrennial event in seven sports disciplines including hockey, shooting and badminton.

As per the schedule for Saturday (July 27), Indian rower Balraj Panwar will compete in the men’s single sculls (Heat 1) at 12:30 p.m. IST.

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan & Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta & Ramita Jindal will compete in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Qualification at 12:30 p.m. followed by 10m Air Pistol Men’s Qualification, in which Arjun Singh Cheema and Sarabjot Singh would be in action.

Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan will also start their campaign on Saturday with the 10m Air Pistol Women’s Qualification at 4 p.m.

In tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji will take on the French pair of Fabian Reboul and Edouard Roger Vasselin in the men’s doubles first-round match at 3:30 p.m.

In badminton, Lakshya Sen will be up against Kevin Gua Cordon in the men’s singles group stage match at 7:10 p.m.

In the men’s doubles category, India’s top pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lock horns with France’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in their opening match at 8:30 p.m.

In the women’s doubles category, Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto will play against the Korean pair of Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in their first group stage match at 11:50 p.m.

Harmeet Desai will start his campaign against Jordan’s Yaman Zaid Jor Abo in the men’s singles table tennis event in the preliminary round at 7:15 p.m.

After the historic bronze finish in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian men’s hockey team will aim to change the colour of their medal as they start their journey against New Zealand in a Pool B match at 9 pm (IST).

In boxing, Preeti Pawar will be up against Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh in the women’s 54kg round of 32 clash at 11:40 pm.

Previous Story

Play your fav games in the cool confines of Oman Exhibition Centre

Next Story

Israeli Raids Kill 30 at Gaza School

Latest from -Top News

OCTOBER 7: Stop the Violence Now, Says Guterres

Guterres recalled that “the attackers brutally killed more than 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals….reports Asian Lite News UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza, Israel, and

Piyush Goyal Heads to Doha for Trade Talks

During the visit, both sides are expected to discuss the proposed India–Qatar Free Trade Agreement (FTA)….reports Asian Lite News Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will travel to Doha, Qatar, on

Hamas Heads to Egypt for Gaza Talks

The negotiation will focus on the details of enacting the first phase of the plan…reports Asian Lite News A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas arrived in Egypt on Sunday ahead of

Multi-alignment, upgraded

With US ties strained and China tense, New Delhi taps Europe’s harder edge for co-development, clean tech and strategic autonomy, writes Manoj Menon India is recalibrating its great-power hedging as frictions with
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Egypt, Jordan, France Demand Gaza Ceasefire

The leaders urged Israel to ensure the flow of humanitarian

France Promises Aid in Solving Egypt’s Debt Crisis

Colonna said France will work on finding better solutions to