News Americas, New York, NY, July 26, 2024: The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony kicked off today in Paris, France, with a spectacular open-air opening ceremony, marking a historic and ambitious celebration in the 128-year history of the modern Olympiad.
Instead of the traditional stadium parade, approximately 10,500 athletes, including those from the Caribbean including Guyana, sailed in a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats along Paris’ iconic Seine River. The uniformed athletes cheered and waved to spectators, keeping the atmosphere lively despite the rainy skies.
The Opening Ceremony commenced with a high-energy video featuring French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and a brief welcome from French President Emmanuel Macron. Lady Gaga then took the stage, performing a medley of cabaret numbers, including the 1960s hit “Mon Truc En Plumes.” Various song-and-dance acts paid tribute to the can-can style, “Les Misérables,” and other hallmarks of French culture.
This marks a blockbuster return for the summer sporting festival, hosting spectators for the first time in eight years following the coronavirus-impacted Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The images of Caribbean athletes joining others from around the world on boats along the Seine highlight the diversity and unity of this global event. More than 200 national teams are competing across 329 events over 19 days, with some handball, soccer, and rugby events starting on Wednesday. To appeal to younger audiences, four new disciplines have been introduced: sport climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and break dancing (officially known as “breaking”).
HERE are some of the Caribbean athletes at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony.
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