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July 23 (UPI) -- Canadian diva Celine Dion delivered a stirring rendition of Edith Piaf's French anthem, "Hymn to Love," at the Eiffel Tower on Friday, providing a show-stopping finale to the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Making her first public singing appearance since 2020 due to her battle against a rare neurological disease, Dion belted out Piaf's quintessentially French song to cap a spectacular and unique Opening Ceremony.
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It began with hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the banks of the river Seine amid a steady rain to cheer on the athletes as they rode along the waterway on specially equipped boats en route to the Trocadero in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
There, they disembarked for the official opening of the Paris Games by proclamation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The ceremony began on time at 7:30 p.m. despite nationwide travel chaos caused by a series of coordinated arson attacks on the French high-speed TGV rail system carried out by unknown saboteurs.
The National Olympic Committee of France touted its opening ceremony as plans as "bold, original and unique," certain to "join the most memorable moments in Olympic history."
First and foremost, the planners chose to hold the ceremony not in a stadium, but rather in Paris itself, specifically along the city's "main artery," the Seine.
Under the concept, the traditional parade of athletes was transformed into a waterborne procession of boats, one for each of the larger national delegations. Each of the nearly 100 boats were equipped with cameras to allow for up-close viewing,
The idea was to allow more than 300,000 spectators the chance to see the athletes' parade in person, something never before accomplished at an Olympics. Eighty giant video screens were set up throughout the city to allow those who couldn't make it in person to view the ceremony.
Beginning at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes, more than 10,000 athletes were positioned on the flotilla moving from east to west for nearly 4 miles along the Seine.
Along the way, it passed by two islands -- the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité -- and under several bridges, each hosting dozens of dancers performing pieces by choreographer Maud Le Pladec and wearing costumes designed by Daphne Burki.
The athletes' boat parade route ended at the Iena Bridge, opposite the Trocadero, the monumental plaza in the heart of Paris that features iconic museums, sculptures, gardens and fountains, as well as sweeping views of the Eiffel Tower.
Once there, the athletes emerged onto the grand esplanade, where the final stages of the Opening Ceremony were performed in a temporary outdoor stadium.
The Greek delegation was the first to take to the water on the vessel Don Juan II, while the Ukrainian delegation received a standing ovation as they passed under the Pont de Bercy.
Among the flag bearers participating were NBA star LeBron James for the United States, hammer thrower Anita Włodarczyk for Poland, basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo for Greece and high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim for Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi for Italy.
Host nation France was the final delegation to make its way down the Seine with 350 athletes aboard its vessel, led by swimmer Florent Manaudou and discus thrower Mélina Robert-Michon as flag bearers.
The portion along the Seine wrapped up with a call for world peace via a rendition of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's classic song "Imagine" performed by singer Juliette Armanet with Sofian Pamart on piano.
The protocols and lighting of the Olympic cauldron
Once the waterborne parade ended, the scene switched to a temporary outdoor stadium set up on the Trocadero as the national flag bearers, now on land, marched into their places.
They were led by Warrant Officer Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer of the French Gendarmerie wearing a cape with the Olympic rings, who rode a horse into the stadium, dismounted and delivered the Olympic flag to the stage.
As it was raised, the Olympic Anthem was performed by the Radio France Choir and French National Orchestra.
The Olympic Laurel Award was presented to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who was honored for his efforts to organize the Refugee Olympic Team, followed by welcoming remarks delivered by Tony Estanguet, president of the French organizing committee.
"For the next 16 days, you will be the best version of humanity," he said. "You'll remind us that the emotions of sport form a universal language that we all share. Until the 11th of August, we'll be by your side.
"Your defeats will be our defeats. Your victories will be our victories. Your emotions will be our emotions."
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach then took the stage to thank the French hosts for the "spectacular" opening ceremony and appealed for the world to emulate the lyrics' of Lennon's song "Imagine," saying, "Some may say, we in the Olympic world, are dreamers. But we are not the only ones.
"Olympians from all around the globe, showing us what greatness we humans are capable of."
With that, French President Emmanuel Macron exclaimed, "I declare the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad open!"
With the Eiffel Towers bathed in a multicolored laser light show amid the rain, Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal received the Olympic Torch from French soccer legend Zinedine Zindane, boarded a boat on the Seine along with Olympics legends Serena Williams, Carl Lewis and Nadia Comaneci -- with the location of the Olympic Cauldron still unknown.
They alighted near the Louvre Museum, where the flame was handed off to retired French tennis player is a former world No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo. He and French basketball legend and former NBA star Tony Parker jogged past the museum and its pyramid.
After several more hand-offs, the torch was given to legendary French judoka Teddy Riner and former track and field sprinter Marie-José Pérec, who approached the Cauldron at its now-revealed location in the Jardin des Tuileries.
As they applied their torches, it was shown the cauldron measured a massive 23 feet and was attached to a 100-foot-highl hot air balloon, which lifted the flaming symbol of the Olympics into the night sky as Dion delivered the musical finale.
Olympic officials said the hot air balloon was a nod to the first hydrogen-powered flight of a balloon, which took place in the Tuileries in 1783.
Heads of state, royalty, dignitaries attend
A long list of dignitaries and heads of state attended the Opening Ceremony, including heads of state such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ten heads of state from the African continent also took part, such as the Mauritania's Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, the current president of the African Union, an the Rwandan leader Paul Kagame.
First lady Jill Biden, wearing a blue Ralph Lauren dress and matching Marion Parke pumps, represented the United States, while the British Royal Family was represented by Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III.
Meanwhile, conspicuous by their absences were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Lady Gaga kicks off entertainment with performance along Seine
American pop superstar Lady Gaga provided the first entertainment spectacle of the evening, appearing in a tribute to French cabaret and music hall with an performance of the 1960s hit "Mon truc en plumes" by Zizi Jeanmaire.
She appeared on a staircase along the Seine in a black outfit surrounded by dancers carrying pink pom poms and feathers.
As the ceremony progressed, a mysterious cloaked person cariying the Olympic torch was followed by cameras as they moved through a series of scenes staged live at sites in the French capital representing the French motto of "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité."
At the Théâtre du Châtelet, the torchbearer was shown at a rehearsal of the musical comedy "Les Misérables," while classical opera singer Marina Viotti and heavy metal band Gojira performed the French revolutionary song "Ah, ça ira."
Next, classical opera singer Marina Viotti, the Paris Symphony Orchestra and its choir sung the aria from Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen," "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (also known as "La Habanera").
French-Malian pop superstar Aya Nakamura and the orchestra of the French Republican Guard was up next with a contingent of 36 singers from the French Army performing her hits "Pookie." "Djadja" and Charles Aznavour's "For Me Formidable" and "La Bohème."
On the roof of the Grand-Palais, mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel sung a moving rendition of "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem, while clothed in a French flag dress made by House of Dior.
The entertainment acts for the Opening Ceremony were kept secret under orders from French theater director and actor Thomas Jolly, who served as the event's artistic director. Organizers, however, promised "the greatest spectacle of the 21st century."
Expectations of Dion's appearance were intense in the run-up to the ceremony -- so much so that Macron was asked during a television interview Tuesday if Dion would perform. He responded by saying he could not reveal anything, but offered, "That would be great because she is an immense artist."
The speculation gained more credibility Thursday when Dion was photographed meeting with Macron's wife Brigitte at the Royal Monceau Hotel.
Attacks on high-speed rail lines create chaos
The arson attacks on France's high-speed rail system came just as organizers were putting the finishing touches on the opening ceremony and also coincided with the start of the "grand départ," the day millions of Parisians traditionally leave the city for their summer vacation.
The massive "sabotage" attacks affected at least 800,000 travelers, as French rail operator SNCF was forced to cancel or divert a large number of trains on three of its four main 200-mph TGV lines.
Paris particularly badly hit, SNCF Group President Jean-Pierre Farandou told French television network BFMTV.
The railway sabotage, however, will have "no impact on the opening ceremony," Paris Mayor Anne Hildalgo told reporters following a meeting with King Felipe VI of Spain.
"What happened is unacceptable, but it will have no impact on this evening's ceremony, because it has no consequences on the transport network of the Ile-de-France region," she said.
Bach also brushed off worries the attacks would disrupt the opening ceremony.
"I don't have concerns, we have full confidence in the French authorities," he told the BBC. "All the measures are being taken. The French authorities are assisted by 180 other intelligence services around the world.
"We have good reason to have full confidence."
Rain forecast worried organizers
While the assault on France's railways were not expected to disrupt the ceremony, fears mounted before the ceremony that an uncooperative Mother Nature could. Rain crept into the forecast earlier in this week, sparking concerns it could throw a monkey wrench into the exquisitely planned proceedings.
The concerns were first noted Tuesday and immediately triggered fears that not only would rain dampen the spectator turnout along the Seine and scuttle the flotilla plans themselves.
Heavy rain could affect the flow of the river, making it run faster and thus speeding up the boats, which would throw off the precise timing of the event.
Organizers were also concerned that rising river levels could make some of the larger vessels too high to pass under the bridges, according to broadcaster FranceInfo.
As Friday dawned, the official Météo-France agency significantly ramped up its warnings, issuing a "yellow alert" for flooding in the French capital starting at 8 p.m. local time, coinciding with the ceremony.
Rain began falling on Friday morning, with 0.2 inches recorded. A lull was expected during the afternoon hours followed by "continuous, sometimes sustained" precipitation in the evening with as much as an additional half-inch falling. Higher amounts were possible, forecasters warned.
But despite a steady downpour that drenched athletes and spectators alike, the Seine flotilla was not adversely affected and finished on time as scheduled.
