2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, as it happened
Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy along the Seine River.
The Floating
The floating Olympic cauldron is not only spectacular, it’s also eco-friendly. Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement its flame is 100% electric made of water and light, with no fuel.
A Glittering Metal Horse
After a glittering metal horse galloped across the Seine, a woman wearing silver armor rode a real horse while carrying the official Olympic flag.
Who was the woman on horseback? Her name is Floriane Issert, a Gendarmerie noncommissioned officer. She was meant to be “the representation of the Olympic spirit and of Sequana,” the goddess of the Seine River.
Los Angeles Games
Organizers for the Los Angeles Games in 2028 will have a hard time matching the scale of what Paris executed along the Seine.
LA’s bid included plans to split its opening ceremony between Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — also a host in 1932 and 1984 — and SoFi Stadium. Those plans could change in the next four years, though.
About E. J. McKay
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