2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- Pool Swimming: July 27 – August 4, 2024
- Open Water Swimming: August 8 – 9, 2024
- La Défense Arena — Paris, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Schedule
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Entry Lists
Bonjour, mes amis!
Well, we made it. The countdown to the Olympics is at zero. Athletes from all delegations are taking their spots on boats and getting ready to parade down the Seine for the opening ceremony. We’ll be updating you here on all the action so pull up a chair and watch the show with us as we celebrate the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The ceremony has begun. First, the torch appeared in an empty stadium. The Opening Ceremony is making history this year as it will take place along the Seine River, the first time it is not taking place in a stadium.
French soccer manager Zinedine Zidane appeared with the torch in a pre-recorded video. Then, the torch is passed to a boy who gets in a boat with a mysterious figure.
Taken to the live video, that boat with the boy and mysterious figure are coming down the Seine with the torch.
Enchanted is the name of the first theme of the segment. Each segment will have a theme.
Greece then appeared in a single boat with 101 athletes as the first team to come down the Seine. The Refugee Olympic Team of 37 athletes was the 2nd boat to appear.
With about 100 boats coming down the Seine, smaller teams will share boats. The first shared boat contains South Africa, Albania, Algeria, and Germany. Shared boats have enough room for gaps between the different delegations.
The first performer of the ceremony is Lady Gaga who appears in a black dress with pink as the accent on the back, flowy part of the dress.
The boats vary by size. For example, despite only having five athletes, Bangladesh has a boat to themselves.
Back to the torch, the kid originally with the torch appears on land. He hands it off to the mysterious hooded figure. Surrounding them are many entertainers all dressed in pink. The hooded figure then appears on a rooftop with the torch doing parkour.
The next show was from a line of dancers in pink and white performing a modernized version of the can-can.
The hooded figure reappears after ziplining over the river and past the Notre Dame Cathedral. Synchronicity is introduced as the next theme of the segment, symbolizing the work on the Cathedral that had a fire just five years ago. Gold and grey have appeared to be the next color themes as well.
The hooded figure comes inside and into a Louis Vuitton work shop. The next work whop that appears is the Olympic medal workshop. As previously reported, each medal has a piece of the Eiffel Tower.
Michael Phelps who holds a total of 23 gold medals appears on screen. He is standing on the side of the Seine River.
The Notre Dame Cathedral bells ring during the ceremony, marking the first time that the bells have rung since the fire in 2019. The show then goes to a pre-recorded scene of Les Misérables where liberty is introduced as the next theme. The broadcast beheaded Marie Antoinette after Les Miserables before going into a heavy metal concert.
After heavy metal, Georges Bizet’s Carmen is sung out to change the music from heavy metal to opera.
Perfomers appear on long sticks swaying back and forth. They all are in many bright-colored outfits. A group of three people run down the street, up stairs while almost kissing, then shut the door behind them, symbolizing love, lust, and ménage à trois.
Aya Nakamura appears as the 2nd performing singer. She is wearing an all-gold dress. Nakamura is the most listened to French speaking artist in the World.
The hooded figure appears in the Louvre, the famous art museum, with the torch.
After some athletes parade down the Seine in their boats, the Louvre is shown again with one painting missing.
The hooded figure reappears and is still carrying the torch, running on top of buildings towards the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is located at the end of the route of the ceremony.
The missing painting, the Mona Lisa appears in the Seine as the next performance starts.
The French flag and national anthem are sung, introducing the next theme, sisterhood. French president Emmanuel Macron appears on screen.
Sportsmanship is introduced as the next theme as the video turns back to the boats of athletes.
Festivity is introduced with a red carpet honoring Paris, the style and fashion capital of the world. The red carpet was on a foot bridge near the Eiffel Tower.
I like the idea of this, but this is hardly the spectacle they were saying it would be. The rain isn’t helping.
Chaotic! Watching it gave me a headache. So hard to take care of the security. Anything can go wrong.
I’m sorry that Canadian soccer coach being sent home for the drone was wild. Btw which US swimmers aside from the open water ones are on the boat?
Rowdy Gaines Opening Ceremony Drinking Game:
If Rowdy appears at all, go pour a drink and cry a little bit on the inside
Welp he’s already been mentioned…
I wonder if more people will particpiate in this since they can sit down.
Shaine Casas will jump off of the boat mid ceremony due to being hungover and high still from last night and will swim a 49.44 100 butterfly in the seine with no walls (100 meters straight!) before being picked up by rescuers
He will then tell the press that someone told him it was the B final and he will go a 1:59.99 200 IM heat
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The bar is open!
Shaine fell off the boat after having one too many.