Paris (France): The 2024 Paris Olympics were off to a rollicking start after a breathtaking opening ceremony that lasted over four hours here on Friday.
The 117-strong Indian contingent also took part at the grand opening ceremony, which was witnessed under the sky for the first one in the history of the Games. The ceremony was attended by veteran Olympians including American track and field athlete Carl Lewis.
Lewis is arguably one of the best in the history of track and field. He is the owner of 10 Olympics gold medals and a silver medal. The city of Paris welcomed the athletes, who have come from the nooks and corners of the globe, as the biggest sporting event kicked off with much fanfare.
This was also the first time that the opening ceremony was held on a river - this time the river Seine, which flows through Paris and witnessed by the Eiffel Tower, one of the known historical monuments of Paris.
Ace paddler Achantha Sharath Kamal, who is taking part in his fifth Olympics and star shuttler P V Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, led the Indian contingent and were the flag-bearers, in the ceremony, which was a star-studded affair. The Indian contingent waved with Tricolour in their hands.
The audience was enthralled by the likes of Lady Gaga. Earlier in a post on X, Sindhu cladded in a saree, had said that it was one of the greatest honours of her life to be the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach waved to the contingent of athletes, who came in boats of different sizes and shapes.As per the tradition, Greece was the first contingent, to arrive for the ceremony and then it was followed by others including
Refugee Olympic Committee, Afghanistan, Austria, Armenia, Great Britain, Japan, Indonesia. However, the very sight of athletes coming from boats was unique and rare.
The opening ceremony also paid tribute to 10 golden heroines of French history - Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Louise Michel, Christine de Pizan, Alice Guy and Simone Veil.
