France pulls off dazzling Olympics opening ceremony

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00Under the pelting rain, France pulled it off.

00:04The opening ceremony, held in the heart of Paris, lit up the city's historic sights,

00:10dazzling hundreds of thousands of spectators who stood drenched in their rain ponchos for

00:15over four hours.

00:16It was actually even better with the rain because it created like an ambiance.

00:22It was really unbelievable and we loved it.

00:26It was not like just a stage, I mean it was actually a whole city and I think it's pretty

00:29precious to understand that for the first time in the world, France represented the

00:33Olympic Games in an amazing way and we're really happy about it.

00:37I think it was something that for sure we're not going to see in many years, like be able

00:43to do this type of event in the middle of the city, it was just beautiful.

00:47The gloomy skies and heavy showers did not ruin the magic of the night.

00:51An enthusiastic audience cheered on each boat carrying athletes and marveled at celebrity

00:56appearances from Lady Gaga and Aya Nakamura, the final torch relay through the Jardin des

01:01Tuileries and a hot air balloon with the ring of Olympic fire rising up to the sky.

01:07It was truly like a dream come true.

01:10Even though it was raining, it was just magical.

01:13People are so like happy, everyone feels together, it's just amazing.

01:18But for many, the highlight of the show was Celine Dion's magnificent return since cancelling

01:23her world tour due to a neurological condition.

01:26The star performed Edith Piaf's hymn to love, a French favourite, underneath the Olympic

01:31rings of the Eiffel Tower.

01:33I like the singers, the dancers, the Celine Dion finish, but above all, just to see the

01:39Eiffel Tower in all its splendour, to see it on a display like that, I think the French

01:45people have a big credit to their country for what they did today.

01:49Paris 2024's stellar opening ceremony has left viewers around the world mesmerized and

01:55has set the bar high for the years to come.

01:58This is the first time an opening ceremony is held among the historic and cultural sites

02:02in the heart of a host city, leaving a big challenge for Los Angeles to match this performance

02:08in 2028.

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