France dazzles world with vibrant Olympics opening ceremony

The Paris Olympics 2024 got off to a glittering ceremony on Friday. An unprecedented and ambitious show with close to 7,000 athletes paraded down the River Seine past the historic monuments of the French capital. The ceremony saw heavy rain too but it failed to dampen the spirit of the thousands present.The Indian contingent was led by PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal. 
For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony took place outside the main stadium, with some 300,000 people watching in person from specially built stands on the river banks, and another 200,000 from overlooking balconies and apartments.

#Paris2024 : Flag bearer PV Sindhu, along with other athletes from the Indian contingent, waves flags as they sail in a boat on the river Seine pic.twitter.com/uHEHJiEeHO

— IANS (@ians_india) July 26, 2024

While the celebration of French culture, fashion and history was warmly cheered by many of the 300,000 spectators lining the river, hundreds were seen leaving early as the rain fell.
Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers have been deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the ceremony. Armed police patrolled along the river in inflatable boats as the armada made its passage along the Seine.

Celine Dion #Paris2024 #Olympics #Olympic2024 pic.twitter.com/3f8Pm0qqrE

— Celine Dion Icon (@celinedionlcon) July 26, 2024

France's La Marseillaise anthem rang out as the parade passed by the Grand Palais, before the show paid tribute to women who made French history, including former minister Simone Veil.
More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday. The closing ceremony will take place on Aug. 11.
French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach were in attendance as French football legend Zinedine Zidane was shown sprinting down the streets of Paris with the Olympic flame in a pre-recorded video before action went live.

The Olympic Cauldron was lit with a burning arrow on this day at Barcelona 1992.

As archery kicks off today at #Paris2024, we're throwing back to that unforgettable moment. @worldarchery pic.twitter.com/G9YiuJmZmD

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 25, 2024

The six kilometer parade began from Austerlitz bridge and 85 boats carried more than 6800 athletes amid loud cheers from the gathered crowd.