Paris Olympic Games 2024

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Spectacular photos from the Paris 2024 opening ceremony​

George Burke
BBC News

François-Xavier Marit/AFP

The Olympic opening ceremony presents the host country with the opportunity to wow the world with a uniquely spectacular show.

The opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was just that - the organisers ditched the traditional ceremony, and became the first Games to hold the opening event within a city as a whole rather than in a stadium.

Thousands of athletes and performers paraded along the River Seine on a wet evening, before the night sky and the Eiffel Tower were lit up in dramatic technicolour, creating a hugely ambitious, one-of-a-kind spectacle.
Below are some of the most eye-catching photos from the night.

Paweł Kopczyński/Reuters

After a three-month journey from Greece to Paris, the Olympic torch was handed to former French footballer Zinedine Zidane, before being passed on to tennis stars Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams.

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

In an epic climax, French judo great Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec used the Olympic torch to ignite a cauldron powering an enormous hot air balloon.
The giant, glowing balloon then flew over the city of Paris to signal the start of the greatest show on Earth.

Marko Đurica/Reuters

Miguel Tona/EPA

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP

The opening ceremony began with a stunning display of coloured smoke resembling the French flag rising over the Pont d’Austerlitz.

Lars Baron/Getty Images

Fans and spectators were in keen attendance, and - for the most part - were undeterred by the wet weather.

Tingshu Wang/Reuters

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Oli Scarff/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron was watching alongside President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach.

Martin Divíšek/EPA

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was also spotted watching the ceremony, seemingly well-prepared for the rain.

Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Various celebrities attended the evening, including American singer Ariana Grande with her British Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo.

Christophe Petit-Tesson/PA Media

As expected there was a heightened security presence, with tens of thousands of police deployed across the city.

Franck Fife/AFP

Spectacular photos from the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony

A selection of eye-catching moments from the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

www.bbc.com

 

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Throughout the event, a mystery masked torchbearer was running and parkour-ing their way through the city on riverside rooftops.

Bernat Armangué/Reuters

Peter Cziborra/Pool/Getty Images

Fleets of team boats, with countries from all around the world, sailed down the Seine, flying their flags with pride.

British diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover bore the flag for Team GB.

Naomi Baker/Reuters

Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Michael Reaves/Reuters

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The event was interspersed with elaborate performances of all kinds, from Lady Gaga, cabaret performers, ballet dancers, acrobats to a finale from Celine Dion, a distant figure on stage halfway up the Eiffel Tower.

Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Wang Dongzhen/Getty Images

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Bernat Armangué/AP

Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Ludovic Marin/AFP
Paris

Paris 2024 Olympics

 

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Olympics 2024: Djokovic in action, and China win first gold of Games​

Follow live coverage of day one at the 2024 Olympics, as Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen win Britain's first medal with a diving bronze, and Anna Henderson goes for glory in the road cycling.

Day one at the Games - swimming and rugby finals top the bill​

 

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Hats off to the French​

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Stade de France

What would the Parisian fashionistas make of this type of headwear?

Chanel, Dior et al will be spinning in their haute couture graves.

Comedy hats are the must-have accessory at the Stade de France...

Gallic roosters, curly wigs, rockstar mullets... you name it.

Image source, BBC Sport

 

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Opening ceremony lights up Paris in unique style​

Sonia Oxley
BBC Sport in Paris
26 July 2024


The 2024 Olympics opened in Paris in spectacular style with thousands of athletes sailing along the River Seine past lively performers on bridges, banks and rooftops in an ambitious take on an opening ceremony.

Swapping a stadium for a waterway for the first time to open the "greatest show on Earth", the near four-hour spectacle culminated in French judo great Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lighting a cauldron shaped like a hot air balloon that rose high into the Parisian sky.

Blue, white and red fireworks had raised the Tricolore above Austerlitz Bridge before 6,800 athletes from 205 delegations travelled on 85 boats and barges past some of the French capital's most famous landmarks.

There were surprise performances through the ceremony, including a cabaret number from US singer-songwriter Lady Gaga, as well as an emotional return of Canadian icon Celine Dion.

The day had started with major disruption when the French train network was hit by arson attacks and heavy rain in the evening put paid to the original plan by artistic director Thomas Jolly to use the Parisian sun to "make the water sparkle".

The lashing rain may have forced athletes to add rain ponchos and umbrellas to their planned outfits but it did not detract from the lively journey through French history, art and sport told by some 2,000 musicians, dancers and other artists.

The last two boats to parade - first the US as the next hosts for Los Angeles 2028 and then France - had the largest numbers of athletes on board, while other barges carried several delegations together.

Rower Helen Glover and diver Tom Daley were Great Britain's flagbearers in Paris, which is hosting the summer Games for a third time and the first time in 100 years.

In opening the 33rd summer Olympics, which are taking part against a difficult international and domestic political backdrop, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach told athletes they were now "part of an event that unites the world in peace".

More than 10,500 athletes will compete across 32 sports at the Games, which will close on 11 August.

Image source,Getty Images

Paris pulls off an Olympic first​

When organisers first revealed plans to hold the opening ceremony along the river in the heart of the city, rather than in a stadium as is usual, there were some raised eyebrows and questions over how they would manage such a huge security operation.

The Seine itself had been under scrutiny for water cleanliness, while simply the logistics of transporting thousands of athletes along a six-kilometre stretch of river without a dress rehearsal seemed ambitious.

But on Friday evening, backed by a security operation involving tens of thousands of police, Paris pulled off its plan in dazzling fashion.

At times it was bizarre - one moment Lady Gaga surrounded by pink and black feathers was singing in French, the next Bangladesh's athletes were being introduced on their boat.

A lot of the time it was brilliantly frenetic and occasionally emotional.

Given the miserable weather after what had been a sunny week in Paris until now, it seemed fitting that the storyline at the start of the ceremony was about the arrival of the Olympic flame in Paris not going according to plan.

The torchbearer did not get the memo about it not being in the Stade de France, and then Zinedine Zidane's metro train broke down while he was transporting the torch.

There followed ballet, cancan, opera, famous artwork coming to life and even Minions - and every so often a masked torchbearer was shown running across rooftops and even zip-lining, while the flotilla made its way from Austerlitz Bridge to Pont d'Iena.

The boats with flag-waving athletes passed landmarks like the Louvre museum, Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais and Arc de Triomphe and were treated to 12 artistic segments.

 

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Paris Olympics 2024 medal table​

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	2	0	0	2
2	Australia	1	0	0	1
3	Britain	0	1	1	2
3	United States	0	1	1	2
5	South Korea	0	1	0	1
6	Kazakhstan	0	0	1	1

 

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Asia and Africa have the largest populations, but Europe and North America dominate Olympic medals​

From CNN's Rachel Wilson

European nations account for only about one-tenth of the global population, but its countries have won more than 7,600 medals in the Summer Olympics, around half of all Summer medals awarded.

Most of these dominant countries have participated in at least 20 of the 30 (including Paris) Summer Games held so far, typically fielding large teams that compete in a wide variety of events.

Great Britain stands out among European nations, with 921 medals earned since the first modern Olympics in 1896,
consistently winning medals in every Summer Games. However, in terms of medals per capita, Finland and Hungary are the top performers with more than 50 medals per million people.

The United States is another Olympic powerhouse, holding the record for the most medals won, with 2,646 across 39 sports since 1896.

Some small Caribbean nations like Jamaica, known for sprinting record-holder legend Usain Bolt, have also achieved notable success, particularly in athletics.

In Asia, China leads with 636 medals, which is nearly 30% of all medals won by Asian countries, while Kenya tops Africa’s medal count, winning 113 medals, predominantly in athletics.