PARIS (AP) — Honoring its reputation as the birthplace of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rule-breaking opening ceremony filled with stars and fantasy, showcasing the city’s resilience as authorities scramble to cope. Suspicion of sabotage An attack targeting France’s high-speed rail network.
Coordinated arson attacks on high-speed trains and rain in Paris caused widespread travel disruption, French authorities said, adding to the somber mood ahead of the ceremony.
But as audiences around the world tuned in, the show got underway with a bang at 7:30 p.m. Soccer star Zinedine Zidane appeared in a humorous short film, followed by a plume of French blue, white and red smoke. Lady Gaga sang in French and dancers waving pink feathered pom-poms added a cabaret feel to the start of a show expected to last more than three hours.
Crowds packed the banks of the Seine, and people watching from balconies let out “oohs” and “wows” as the Olympic team began their boat parade along the waterway.
The stakes for France were huge: dozens of heads of state and government gathered in Paris, and the world watched as the city was transformed into a giant open-air theatre.
The Paris ceremony took place along the Seine River, with the city’s iconic landmarks transformed into stages for dancers, singers and other artists.
Rain that drenched spectators and athletes and travel chaos at Paris’ train stations highlighted the risks of Paris’ bold choice: The massive ceremony would have required organizers to transport, organize and protect many more spectators than if they had followed the example of past Olympic cities, which opened with stadium shows.
Still, as the show began, optimism grew that the gamble might pay off, as the motto goes: Paris “won’t sink.”
While evening rain forecast by national weather service Meteo-France is unlikely to delay the ceremony or many of the planned surprises, Paris organizers were praying for clear skies to realise their vision of showcasing the city centre and its iconic monuments.
Wet weather could make the ceremony more exhausting for the thousands of Olympians marching on boats along the Seine and the hundreds of thousands of spectators gathering on the riverbanks and bridges – far more than would be enough to pack into France’s national stadium.
Paris organisers said ahead of the next 16 days of competition that they expected 6,800 of the 10,500 athletes to take part.
“Of course, if you’re planning an outdoor event, you want good weather,” Paris organiser Tony Estanguet told France Interradio.
But the ceremony was “designed so that it could be held even in the rain,” he said.
“It’s probably going to be a little bit different,” he added. “We’re going to adapt.”
Some spectators who followed organizers’ advice to arrive early enough along the ceremony route were upset by the long waits they had to make to find their seats.
“Paris was great but the Olympics and communication stuff was awful,” said Tony Ghosn, a 54-year-old Texan who arrived in the city with his wife six hours ago.
“It’s a little frustrating when you spend $6,000 on two tickets.”
But Paris has plenty of trump cards: the Eiffel Tower, its head still visible beneath the clouds, Notre Dame rebuilt from the ashes. Fires of 2019 — The Louvre and other iconic monuments will take centre stage at the opening ceremony. Award-winning theatre director Thomas JollyAs the creative mind behind the show, he used the zinc-grey roofs of Paris’ streets as a playground for the imagination.
His mission is: France, its people and its history Reconstruct the essence of the Olympic Games in a way that will leave an indelible impression on Olympic spectators. Renew the image and confidence of the former French capital. repeatedly subjected to deadly attacks by extremists 2015. Paris is also aiming to revive the Olympics, and the Summer Olympics will be more attractive and Sustainable.
That’s a big ask, so Paris is going to do something big. Something very big. That also applies to securityA vast fenced-in area in central Paris has been made off-limits to anyone without a pass and a no-fly zone will be imposed around 150 kilometers (93 miles) of the city during the ceremony.
Many details of the show, which runs from sundown through the Paris night, remain closely guarded secrets to preserve the element of surprise for audiences. Lady Gaga was spotted singing a warm-up song before the show, her hands raised and waving. French media have also named Celine Dion and other French stars as possible candidates to be among the thousands of performers.
Jolie was recently photographed practising her move as a French Air Force jet blasted coloured smoke into the Paris sky to create a heart shape.
Soccer legend Zinedine Zidane, who led France to World Cup victory in 1998, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate to light the Olympic cauldron, and there is also speculation that it might be lit by survivors of the 2015 attacks by Islamic State militants and suicide bombers that killed 130 people in Paris and its suburbs.
The identity of the final torchbearer remains the country’s best-kept secret, with Estanguet saying Friday morning that only he knows “the person or athlete” and that he has not yet told the person.
“I’m going to tell the last delivery person today,” he said. “He doesn’t know, and neither does she.”
The outline of the ceremony has been announced previously and its ambition is astounding. French President Emmanuel Macron He said that at first, he thought it was a “crazy, not-so-serious idea.”
The athletes will parade in boats along a six-kilometer (nearly four-mile) east-west route along the Seine, with 320,000 paying and invitational spectators, plus many more watching from their balconies and windows.
During the athletes’ aquatic adventure, they will be treated to magnificent views of Paris, passing historic buildings temporarily transformed into venues for the Olympic Games.
The Place de la Concorde, where French revolutionaries executed King Louis XVI and other royals by guillotine, is now a venue for skateboarding and other sports, and the steel, stone and glass Grand Palais is home to fencing and taekwondo.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s gold-domed tomb, which was the site of Olympic archery, and the Eiffel Tower, which he donated a block of iron to. It is embedded in the gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. These will be awarded in 32 sports and 329 medal events.
Up to 45,000 police and gendarmes; 10,000 soldiersThe event will be hosted by IOC President Thomas Bach and President Macron, who will ensure the safety of the ceremonies and VIP guests.
Estinguett said Paris’ goal was “to show the whole world and all French people that we are capable of achieving extraordinary things in this country.”
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Associated Press writers Megan Janetski and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
