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By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy, showcasing the city’s resilience as authorities dealt with suspected acts of sabotage that targeted France’s high-speed rail network.
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.
But 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. And Lady Gaga sang, in French, with dancers shaking pink plumed pompoms, adding a cabaret feel to the start of what is expected to be a more than three-hour show.
Crowds crammed along the River Seine and watching from balconies “oohed” and “aahed” as Olympic teams began parading in boats along the waterway.
The stakes for France were immense. Dozens of heads of state and government were in town and the world was watching as Paris turned itself into a giant open-air theater.
Paris’ ceremony was unfurling along the River Seine, turning the city’s iconic monuments into stages for dancers, singers and other artists.
The sprawling ceremony gave organizers bigger crowds to transport, organize and safeguard than would have been the case if they’d followed the example of previous Olympic host cities that opened with stadium shows.
Still, as the show got underway, optimism soared that Paris – true to its motto that speaks of being unsinkable – might just see its gambles pay off.
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.
Paris organizers said 6,800 of the 10,500 athletes would attend before they embark on the next 16 days of competition.
The boats carrying the Olympic teams started the parade by breaking through curtains of water that cascaded down from Austerlitz Bridge, the start of the 6-kilometer (nearly 4-mile) parade route. The jetting waters were a wink at the splendid fountains of Versailles Palace, now the venue for Olympic equestrian competitions.
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.
Usually during Olympic opening ceremonies, the parade of athletes takes place during a pause in the razzmatazz. But Paris shattered that tradition by having the parade and pageantry at the same time, blending sports and artistic expression.
Some spectators who followed organizers’ advice to arrive well ahead of time along the ceremony route fumed over long waits to get to their seats.
“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.
“When you spend $6,000 on two tickets, well, that’s a little frustrating.”
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 its 2019 fire — the Louvre Museum and other iconic monuments will star in the opening ceremony. Award-winning theater director Thomas Jolly, the show’s creative mind, was using the signature Paris cityscape of zinc-grey rooftops as the playground for his imagination.
His task: Tell the story of France, its people, their history and essence in a way that leaves an indelible imprint on Olympic audiences. Refresh the image and self-confidence of the French capital that was repeatedly struck by deadly extremist attacks in 2015. Capture how Paris is also aiming to reboot the Olympics, with Summer Games it has worked to make more appealing and sustainable.
It’s a big ask. So Paris is going big, very big. That goes for the security, too. Large fenced-off stretches of central Paris were locked down to those without passes and the skies during the ceremony were a no-fly zone for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around.
Many details of the spectacle that will stretch through sunset and into the Paris night had remained closely guarded secrets to preserve the wow factor.
Zidane, who led France to World Cup ecstasy in 1998, was among the guesses for who might light the Olympic cauldron. Another suggestion is that organizers might bestow that honor on survivors of the 2015 attacks by Islamic State-group gunmen and suicide bombers who killed 130 people in and around Paris.
The identity of the final torch bearers has been the country’s biggest secret. Chief Paris Games organizer Tony Estanguet said Friday morning that only he knows “the personality or athlete” and that he still hadn’t told that person.
“I plan to tell the last carrier today,” he said. “He or she doesn’t know.”
The ceremony’s broad-brush strokes have been previously announced and are stunning in their ambition. French President Emmanuel Macron said they initially felt like “a crazy and not very serious idea.”
During the athletes’ waterborne adventure, Paris’ splendors unfurled before them. They were passing historic landmarks that have been temporarily transformed into arenas for Olympic sports.
Concorde Plaza, where French revolutionaries guillotined King Louis XVI and other royals, now hosting skateboarding and other sports, and the Grand Palais of iron, stone and glass, the fencing and taekwondo venue.
The golden-domed resting place of Napoléon Bonaparte, the backdrop for Olympic archery, and the Eiffel Tower, which donated chunks of iron that have been inlaid in the gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. They’ll be won in the 32 sports’ 329 medal events.
Up to 45,000 police and gendarmes, plus 10,000 soldiers, were safeguarding the ceremony and its VIP guests, with IOC President Thomas Bach and Macron presiding.
Paris’ aim, said Estanguet, is “to show to the whole world and to all of the French that in this country, we’re capable of exceptional things.”
AP journalists Megan Janetsky and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
