Olympics 2024 opening ceremony live updates (2024)

The 2024 Paris Olympics got underway on Friday with a unique opening ceremony on the river Seine which divided opinion on a chaotic day in France.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators braved heavy downpours to line the banks of the Seine for the first opening ceremony of a Games to take place outside of a stadium.

They were entertained by a flotilla of barges carrying more than 6,000 athletes and musical performances from the likes of Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, who gave her first public performance since revealing she is living with a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome.

But the ceremony was overshadowed by a series of attacks on the country’s high-speed rail network earlier in the day. The state-owned railway operator SNCF said timetables would be severely impacted all weekend and has urged all travelers to postpone their journeys.

The boats are docked, the cauldron is lit and the 2024 Olympic Games are officially underway.

The opening ceremony was not held in a stadium for the first time in Olympic history, as the Seine entertained 85 boats.

Greece and France were the bookends of the floating parade. Greece is always the first nation to start the “parade of nations” in the Olympic opening ceremony as an ode to the country that created the Games.

The host then country closes out the procession.

All the boats passed under 24 of the 37 bridges along the River Seine, according to the NBC broadcast. Some were large, some were small. Some hauled hundreds of athletes while others held a handful.

Therefore, here were the most eye-catching cruisers of the opening ceremony.

A real horse led by a rider dressed in a metallic Joan of Arc-inspired outfit, walked to deliver the folded Olympic flag to the Palace du Trocadero stage.

The flag was then hoisted above the Trocadero…although eagle-eyed fans noticed the flag was accidentally hung upside down.

Imagine conceiving this idea, and finally getting to see it in real life over the French capital’s skyline.

Here, the Olympic flame held aloft by a hot-air balloon is flanked by the Eiffel Tower to its left and the Arc de Triomphe to its right.

Still intrigued by some of the outfits you saw bobbing up and down on the River Seine earlier? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

This is good fun from the excellent Caoimhe O’Neill on the fashion show that was an 85-boat flotilla trundling through Paris. It’s all yours and may well inspire your next shopping trip. Maybe.

You will have seen updates in here from our own brilliant writer Matthew Futterman, as he stood and waited for the opening ceremony to unfold before him.

Well, he has written his piece. This is how it starts:

📝 PARIS — There was noise, the kind only a throng of humanity can sound.

How big a throng?

Four-miles-long-and-30-deep-on-both-sides-of-the-river big.

Hundreds of thousands lined the Seine, that river of rivers snaking through the French capital…as thousands of athletes floated by on boats and barges, waving flags and arms and clinging to each other in ways that conjured that dark memory of a time when none of this was possible.

I now want to read the rest of Matthew’s writing, and I’m sure you do too. Just follow the link below.

From the piano playing of Lady Gaga to a heavy metal Les Mis tribute, a horsewoman riding the Seine and a GOAT boat.

We saw it all through almost four hours of spectacle in the French capital, welcoming the 2024 Paris Olympics.

And you can catch up on all those remarkable moments, in this cracking piece from Tess DeMeyer below. Enjoy!

If you thought the opening ceremony was fun, then wait until you start getting stuck into the actual sport.

In truth we’ve already seen some, with the soccer and rugby sevens among the sports providing a soft-launch to the Paris 2024 events. But with the Games now officially open, we get properly engrossed.

There is diving, fencing, road time-trial cycling, shooting, skateboard and swimming all on the bill for Saturday.

And even better news… You can follow all of it through The Athletic’s Olympics coverage right here (click 'follow' in the top right hand corner).

Let’s the real fun and Games begin!

So after weeks of secrecy and hours of anticipation during the opening ceremony, it was Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec revealed as the final co-torchbearers and honoree lighters of the Olympic cauldron.

A quintessential French choice to end a true extravaganza of an opening ceremony.

The flame was then lifted into the sky by a flying hot-air balloon, to mark the beginning of the 2024 Olympic Games.

You can read up on exactly how and why with the link below.

With the end of Celine Dion’s poignant performance and with tears in her eyes, that is the climax of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

The hot-air balloon holding the Olympic flame in the Paris sky is a remarkable sight, with the shimmering Eiffel Tower a decent step back in the distance.

I can fully appreciate now why it took so long to get the torch back there.

The sight though… It is utterly spellbinding. What a brilliant piece of design and the sight you will see on all your media pages, social feeds and TV bulletins through the coming hours.

Well done, Paris. Well done.

I forgot to say, Celine Dion is of course performing from under the Olympic rings plastered to the front of the Eiffel Tower.

But I reckon you’d probably guessed that was how it was happening.

Now then. Here we are. The oldest living French Olympian, 100-year-old Charles Coste, joins the group.

He passes the flame to three-time Olympic gold medaling judoka Teddy Riner and three-time Olympic track champion Marie-Jose Perec — both symbols of French sporting excellence — and they hand the flame to an incredible hot air balloon structure that takes the seven-meter-wide Olympic flame into the air.

This is truly an incredible sight, all playing out to the background music of Edith Piaf.

Simply spectacular. Beautifully French.

And then right on cue, Celine Dion signing in French. Et voila!

High fives to the crowd from Mauresmo as she carries the torch on land and back through and towards the Louvre.

The idea now seems to be to pass the torch through various French Olympians and Paralympians, as well as former NBA star and French-American, Tony Parker.

The jog through more French landmarks continues. But to where?

It’s a great question…

Well, the lightshow and lasers are continuing from the Eiffel Tower, and the boat is still trundling down the Seine.

As has just been pointed out to me, Rafael Nadal is due on court tomorrow and as it stands, he and a lot of other athletes are going to be having a late night at this rate.

Not the ideal preparation. I’m sure this isn’t the first time I’ve written that tonight either.

Anyway, the boat has finally docked and Amelie Mauresmo is on hand to take on the torch.

We are on our final performance of the opening ceremony, by the looks of it.

Supernature from Cerrone plays out, with a sign language performance by Shaheem Sanchez.

Fortunately, our super boat quartet are still enjoying themselves in their classy outfits and required life jackets.

Goodness me, you saw him earlier in this feed… Yes, Carl Lewis is also on this magic Olympic marvel of a boat — as well as Games icon, Nadia Comaneci.

A lot of sports titles weighing down that boat right now.

The Eiffel Tower glimmers in the Paris night. The crowd cheers to make up for the waiting.

Back to the Seine, as a motorboat trundles back down the river towards Palace du Tracadero.

Nadal is standing up in the boat, holding the torch and clinging to a pole that’s clearly there to help him stand up.

Nadal passes the torch to…

Serena Williams!

Here come the iconic shots. The five Olympic lights are light on the Eiffel Tower, before lights and lasers stream from the Paris landmark.

Quite frankly, this looks epic.