The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 was a spectacular event that took place on Friday, July 26, along the River Seine. For the first time in Olympic history, the ceremony was held outside a stadium, with 85 boats carrying nearly 7,000 athletes from 205 countries along a 6-km stretch of the Seine. The ceremony also saw two unique figures – a masked torchbearer running across rooftops and a caped rider who rode a metal horse down the Seine, delivering the Olympic flag.
Who were the two masked figures?
A masked Amazon on a motorised horse participated in the ceremony, galloping down the Seine while wearing a cape with the Olympic rings. She carried the olympic flag from the Pont d'Iena to the Place du Trocadero on the metal horseback. As she passed under bridges, she unfurled dove wings. The rider was Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie Nationale. Following her, a group of Games volunteers carried the national flags.
Ms Issert wasn't the only one to make an impact. A mysterious torchbearer also made a splash by leaping across buildings and past monuments with ease. Clad in a black cloak and mask, their identity remained a secret throughout the ceremony. They met Zinedine Zidane at the end of the procession, handing the torch back to the French football legend before disappearing into the night.
The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony began with a performance by Lady Gaga and included a tribute to French culture, history and sport. Athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees (NOC) participated in the parade, which travelled along the Seine and passed by iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and the Grand Palais.
Apart from Zidane, the Olympic torch was also carried by French sporting heroes Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec, as well as Spanish Tennis legend Rafael Nadal. The cauldron, attached to a hot air balloon, rose into the sky as Celine Dion performed L'hymne à l'amour from the Eiffel Tower balcony.
The ceremony was attended by 320,000 spectators along the Seine and watched by millions around the world.