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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">From epic and legendary music performances to torch-bearing class A celebrities and shocking segments that caused controversy and, simultaneously, praise worldwide. This was the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday the 26th, one that went down in the history as the first of its kind happening on a river and not in the stadium and dubbed as the largest in the games history.</h3>
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Biblical parody that made Olympics panel apologize? Shocking headless Marie-Antoinette theatrical display? Lady Gaga &amp; C&eacute;line Dion leaving musical imprints under the Parisian sky and Gojira making history as the first Metal band to play at the Olympics. A star-studded torch-bearing route and so much more. Let's have a look at the best moments and highlights of the opening ceremony.
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Olympics-Paris-Opening-Ceremony-2024-2478-2024-07-29.webp" alt="" width="800" height="534"> Opening Ceremony Boat Parade for the Paris 2024 Olympics initiation on the Seine River
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Seine-2024-Olympics-7556-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="515"> Greek Boat Parade on the Seine River at Olympics Opening Ceremony
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94 boats sailed down the Seine River in a spectacular parade showcasing all the participating countries and suming around 10,500 athletes competing in this year's Olympics- this is Paris's first opening ceremony in a century's time and it's the first ever to happen on a river, with multiple locations, orchestrated and directed to tell the story and history of France with bold, artistic segments.&nbsp;
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">Omar Al Marzouqi and cyclist Safiya Al Sayegh were the flag-bearers for the UAE at the opening ceremony which kicked off with ambition and lavishness.&nbsp;</h3>
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/UAE-Boat-Parade-Seine-Olympics-2024-4280-2024-07-29.jpeg" alt="" width="800" height="600"> UAE Boat Parade on the Seine River at Olympics Opening Ceremony
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">Did you hear? The Olympics and The Coca-Cola Company teamed up with Ryan Tedder, Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak to create a song that celebrates the magic that happens when the world comes together at the Olympic Games!</h3>
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Watch the video here!
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">Heroic performance by the iconic Canadian star C&eacute;line Dion- known as "Queen of Ballads"- who made a live comeback at the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony.</h3>
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The Canadian superstar had been rumoured to be singing a duet with Lady Gaga, but instead went solo on the Eiffel Tower in a breath-taking performance of Edith Piaf's classic L'Hymne &agrave; l'Amour.
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Celine-Dion-Olympics-2024-6784-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450"> C&eacute;line Dion's Tour Eiffel Performance
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/C%C3%A9line-Dion-Tour-Eiffel-2024-4355-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="479"> C&eacute;line Dion's Epic Performance after 4 years
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">Powerful performance by megastar Lady Gaga who was humbled and extremely honored to have been asked to perform during the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.&nbsp;</h3>
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Lady Gaga, with 10 dancers wafting pink feathers and a 17-piece band in tow, was the first artist to welcome the athletes to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Friday 26 July. She performed Mon truc en Plume,' with her version of the song from iconic French revue artist Zizi Jeanmarie.
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Lady-Gaga-Olympics-2024-8264-2024-07-29.webp" alt="" width="800" height="450"> Lady Gaga in Cabaret Mode during Opening Ceremony Performance
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Lady-Gaga-Olympics-2024-2774-2024-07-29.webp" alt="" width="800" height="450"> Lady Gaga's Powerful Performance as the first Artist of the Opening Ceremony
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">History was made! Gorjira- the iconic French Metal band- became the first Metal band in the history of music to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony.&nbsp;</h3>
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Jaw-dropping and unprecedented performance of the band set the world ablaze as members were strapped to the Conciergerie along the Seine River, first greeted with a headless Marie-Antoinette as a backdrop; Gojira teamed up with Opera singer Marina Viotti to deliver their interpretation of the French Revolution song Ah! &Ccedil;a Ira.&nbsp;
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Gojira-Olympics-2024-9793-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="534"> Theatrical Show of Gojira &amp; Marina Viotti at former prison-castle
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Gojira-Olympics-2024-6259-2024-07-29.avif" alt="" width="800" height="514"> Gojira made History at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony 2024
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">The Mysterious Torchbearer was a key highlight, clad in a black cloak and mask, who leapt across Paris rooftops and monuments.&nbsp;</h3>
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The identity of this torchbearer remained a secret throughout the ceremony. The torchbearer met French football legend Zinedine Zidane at the end of the procession, handing the torch back before disappearing into the night. Most circulated analogy was that this was a nod to the famous games of "Assasins Creed".
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Masked-Torchbearer-2024-3456-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450"> Mysterious Masked Torchbearer&nbsp;
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">Zinedine Zidane was favored to light Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony Cauldron.</h3>
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Zinedine-Zidane-2024-Paris-6116-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="534"> Zinedine Zidane and mysterious torch-bearer
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">A masked Amazon on a motorised horse participated in the ceremony, galloping down the Seine while wearing a cape with the Olympic rings. She carried the olympic flag&nbsp;from the Pont d'Iena to the Place du Trocadero on the metal horseback. </h3>
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As she passed under bridges, she unfurled dove wings. The rider was Floriane Issert, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie Nationale. Following her, a group of Games volunteers carried the national flags.
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Masked-Figure-Olympics-2024-9971-2024-07-29.jpeg" alt="" width="800" height="591"> Floriane Issert as masked figurine
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Flying-Olympic-Flame-2024-871-2024-07-29.webp" alt="" width="800" height="450"> The Flying Olympic Flame 2024
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<h3 class="dcr-u0152o" style="line-height: 2;">Paris Olympics organisers apologise to Christians for Last Supper parody - although this segment was meant as a Greek Satire to raise awareness &ldquo;of the absurdity of violence between human beings".&nbsp;</h3>
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&ldquo;Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,&rdquo; the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. &ldquo;We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.&rdquo;
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Greek-Satire-2024-2613-2024-07-29.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="510"> Theatrical Segment of the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony&nbsp;
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">On a different Fashion note, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande looked very stylish at the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.</h3>
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Ariana-Grande-Olympics-2024-7794-2024-07-29.avif" alt="" width="800" height="450"> Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande 
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/Serena-Williams-2024-9614-2024-07-29.avif" alt="" width="800" height="450"> Olympian Serena Williams on the red carpet ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024
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<img src="https://production-dubainight.s3.me-south-1.amazonaws.com/region_dubai/article/LeBron-James-2024-267-2024-07-29.avif" alt="" width="800" height="450"> LeBron James and U.S. teammates on a boat along the Seine River during the Opening Ceremony&nbsp;
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In a nutshell, the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony was an event made for the books, went down in history as the first of its kind!
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<h3 style="line-height: 2;">If you want to keep up with all things Paris Olympics 2024 then you can keep track on <a style="color: #843fa1; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">olympics.com</a></h3>

Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony: The highlights

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Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony: The highlights

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Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony: The highlights

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