The wait for the 2024 Paris Olympics is over!
While competition has already begun in Paris, the official kickoff for the Games started today along the Seine River during the Opening Ceremony.
Read below to relive the historic Opening Ceremony in Paris.
💙💛🖤💚❤️
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
The Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower!#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/XNoJYAM2NF
The Olympic flame then makes its way into the hands of iconic athletes in French history before it is passed to one final pair, Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner.
The Olympic cauldron is shaped like a hot-air balloon and looks astonishing when lit.
The Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron is lit!
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
Sorry, THE PARIS 2024 HOT-AIR BALLOON OLYMPIC CAULDRON IS LIT! 🤯 🔥 #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/CIuS4RzfHD
And then for the grand finale...the one and only Celine Dion performs underneath the Olympic cauldron.
CELINE! 🥹 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/87AqGnLJUi
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
Zinedine Zidane, who started off this ceremony, passes off the Olympic torch to none other than...Rafael Nadal.
Nadal joins a boat with Serena Williams, Nadia Comăneci and Carl Lewis.
Boat of GOATs. 🐐🛳️ #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/8Plbfd0seX
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
A horsewoman gallops along the Seine to deliver the Olympic flag to the podium. The flag is then raised to the sound of the Olympic anthem, which is performed by 60 singers and 90 musicians from the French National Orchestra.
Kicking off the #ParisOlympics on a high (horse). 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6gzC6TpioR
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 26, 2024
And then the speeches begin. Tony Estanguet, who is a three-time Olympic champion, three-time world champion and three-time European champion in single canoe slalom starts them off.
President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach follows Estanguet. Bach was an Olympic champion in fencing (team foil) at the 1976 Montreal Games.
The Parade of Nations is complete! But not before we wave hello to Team USA!
Team USA cruising into the #ParisOlympics 🤩🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/gQDaRBrqXT
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
The ceremony continues into the ninth of 12 sequences, the darkness stage. This stage featured a performance of ‘Imagine’ by Juliette Armanet.
Steph Curry, Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson are excited for the Opening Ceremony!
Trading with Team USA 🇺🇸@StephenCurry30 is all in on the pins.
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 26, 2024
📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics | #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/PgVfghLoik
He’s an ICON. He’s a legend. He is the moment.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/8BzUdyEX03
She is HER. 💅 #ParisOlympics @itsshacarri pic.twitter.com/sXXxIMPf4R
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
There are about eight more boats remaining in the parade. The U.S. is coming up!
As we await to see the U.S. team, a reminder that the countries are appearing in alphabetical order according to the host country’s language.
Future host countries also traditionally walk at the end. Because the U.S. is hosting the 2028 Olympics, viewers can expect to see the American athletes at the very end of the parade, right before France.
Imagine what Simone Biles must have thought when she got this Facetime from her family.
The best facetime Simone Biles will get today. 😍
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
📺: #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/O3q00aQ821
Basketball star A’ja Wilson has Steph Curry to thank for her accessories at the Opening Ceremony.
That’s teamwork.
thx @StephenCurry30 for the shades 🙂 pic.twitter.com/f3MaJA9iPq
— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) July 26, 2024
The official mascot, the Phryges, of the Games is dressed in pink for the occasion!
The Phrygian cap is a symbol of freedom, revolution and the French Republic. It has served as a symbol of many major events throughout French history dating back centuries.
The Phryge is pretty in pink at the Opening Ceremony. 💞 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/1lb9NQpag9
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
Any guesses on who is carrying the torch?!
La vie en rose. 🌹
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
23 delegations are parading along the river Seine.
But wait, who’s that mysterious torchbearer?#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/Lj05ULigkd
After much speculation about who would be performing during the Opening Ceremony, none other than Lady Gaga performed “Mon Truc En Plume” on the banks of the Seine.
This is the signature song of the late Zizi Jeanmaire, a beloved entertainer in France.
Lady Gaga shines on the world's stage. 🌟
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 26, 2024
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/xnriZIEKbV
The Flame is here! Are you ready for this 6km celebration of sport along the iconic River Seine? 🌉
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
Are you ready for the Olympic Games Paris 2024? 🙌#Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/sfHRiqcwIS
We can expect to see 12 tableaus during the Opening Ceremony, otherwise known as artistic sequences. Below are the names of each scene:
1. Enchanté
2. Synchronicity
3. Liberty
4. Equality
5. Fraternity
6. Sisterhood
7. Sportsmanship
8. Festivity
9. Darkness
10. Solidarity
11. Solemnity
12. Eternity
The delegations will appear in French alphabetical order.
Who better to break down the numbers than Steve Kornacki?
Get to know Team USA by the numbers with Khakis King Kornacki. 🇺🇸🙌
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/0ZYRIxesKm
Serena Williams takes the red carpet.
"I don't know if it's fun or if I'm a little jealous!" 😅
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
Serena Williams on enjoying the #ParisOlympics despite no longer being a competitor.
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/DLWoHJ1ppY
With less than 30 minutes until the start of the Opening Ceremony, it’s important to note the firsts that we are about to experience.
This ceremony marks the first time ever that an Opening Ceremony is not being held in a stadium. This is also the first time that an Opening Ceremony is open to hundreds of thousands of spectators.
From the Pont d’Austerlitz to the Trocadero, athletes will cross Paris from east to west, passing numerous monuments along the way.
A moment for the flag bearer fit!
The king in his white coat! 👑😮💨 #ParisOlympics2024
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
📸: @usabasketball pic.twitter.com/vWixhvZJ6Z
LeBron James and Coco Gauff are the flagbearers for the U.S. in the Opening Ceremony.
James, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, becomes the third basketball player to lead the U.S. delegation. Dawn Staley and Sue Bird were the flag bearers at the 2004 Athens Games and 2021 Tokyo Games, respectively.
Olympic rookie Gauff is the first tennis player to be a U.S. flag bearer. At 20 years old, she is also the youngest American ever to hold the honor.
Our flag bearers are ready 🇺🇸
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 26, 2024
📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock#ParisOlympics | #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/xyJIz2w7Aa
Snoop Dogg, always the fashion expert, is ready for the Opening Ceremony!
"I'm trying to camouflage." - Snoop Dogg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
Snoop's ready for the #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/gbKn7Zwrex
As we prepare for the Opening Ceremony to start, here are some fast facts:
- 85 boats
- 320,000 spectators
- 200 rehearsal days
- 205 delegations
- 6,800 attending athletes
- 71 giant screens, 1,000 loudspeakers and 100+ cameras
- 1,800 costumes
- 3.7 mile route
Now that we know what to expect from the upcoming spectacle, who but these three to tell us what to expect at the Opening Ceremony?
Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning kick it off from Paris! 🤩
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/6ufzfbNtf7
We are just over an hour out from the Opening Ceremony so let’s familiarize ourselves with the parade route along the Seine!
A trip through the heart of the City of Light.
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 26, 2024
Here's a look at the parade route for the #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony. 🚤
📺 #ParisOlympics Opening Ceremony on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/o8wh9dmwof