Widespread travel disruptions triggered by what French officials said were coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines and rains in Paris had dampened the mood ahead of the ceremony.
in a century on Friday with a rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy, showcasing the city’s resilience as authorities dealt withBut as global audiences tuned in, Paris put its best foot forward — quite literally, with joyous French cancan dancers featuring early on. The show’s spectacular launch at 7:30 p.m. lifted spirits. A humorous short film featured soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. Plumes of French blue, white and red smoke followed.
Paris’ ceremony was unfurling along the River Seine, turning the city’s iconic monuments into stages for dancers, singers and other artists. The rains could make the ceremony a more fatiguing experience for the thousands of Olympians and the hundreds of thousands of spectators who crammed the Seine’s banks and bridges — many more than could have been squeezed into France’s national stadium.
Per Olympic protocol, the first boat carried athletes from Greece, birthplace of the ancient Games. It was followed by the Olympic team of refugee athletes and then, the other nations in French alphabetical order. “Paris has been great, anything to do with the Olympics and dissemination of information has been horrible,” said Tony Gawne, a 54-year-old Texan who turned up six hours in advance with his wife.But Paris had plenty of aces up its sleeve. The Eiffel Tower, its head still visible below the clouds, Notre Dame Cathedral — restored from the ashes of, the show’s creative mind, was using the signature Paris cityscape of zinc-grey rooftops as the playground for his imagination.
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