22 details you might've missed during the Paris 2024 opening ceremony (2024)

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The ceremony opened with a reference to the French Revolution.

The first section of the ceremony after the opening performance was titled "Ça ira."

The phrase, which was also the title of a popular song during the French Revolution, roughly translates to, "It will be OK."

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The parade of nations took place right on the River Seine.

Instead of walking into the arena, athletes from each country paraded down the Seine on boats of all shapes and sizes. Some countries shared vessels, and others appeared on smaller boats.

The Seine has been a major character in these Olympics so far. Even though swimming in the river has been illegal for the public for about 100 years, Olympians from several water sports are meant to compete in it throughout the 2024 Paris Games.

Paris put over $1 billion into cleaning the river for the events, but there are still concerns about E. coli levels. It's unclear which (if any) events will actually be able to happen in the river.

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Lady Gaga paid tribute to an iconic French performance style.

Lady Gaga — surrounded by dancers holding pink feathers — was the first entertainer to perform at the opening ceremony.

She sang "Mon Truc en Plumes," a cabaret song made famous by French ballerina Zizi Jeanmaire.

Jeanmaire debuted the song wearing a black outfit while dancing with men holding pink feathers, making Lady Gaga's performance a fitting tribute.

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Simone Biles wasn't at the opening ceremony, but her family was.

American gymnast Biles was not at the opening ceremony. Her events start on Sunday, and it's common for athletes competing in the opening weekend to skip the long ceremony day.

But Snoop Dogg interviewed her family, who were watching the parade of nations from the banks of the Seine.

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Louis Vuitton cases will be featured throughout the Games.

Part of the performance honored the legendary French fashion house Louis Vuitton with a routine centered on extra-large cases on luggage carts.

Later in the Games, the medals will be handed out in (much smaller) Louis Vuitton cases.

Each one of this year's Olympic medals contains a sliver of the Eiffel Tower.

The Monnaie de Paris made the medals for this year's Olympics, and each one contains a sliver of the Eiffel Tower.

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Michael Phelps and Martin Fourcade made a somewhat strange cameo.

US swimmer Phelps holds the record for the most Olympic medals in history, and Fourcade is the most successful French Olympian.

Although it's not surprising that they were present at the opening ceremony, it was a little odd that they were just briefly shown standing next to the water in the midst of a dance performance.

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The bells of Notre Dame rang for the first time since 2019.

Paris' famous Notre-Dame experienced a devastating fire in 2019. During the opening ceremony, the iconic cathedral's bells rang for the first time since then.

Earlier in the ceremony, dancers dressed in construction gear performed around the scaffolded cathedral to highlight the reconstruction. The repairs are set to be completed by the end of the year.

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Performers recreated an iconic scene from "Les Misérables."

The "Liberté" section of the opening ceremony opened with a hommage to the musical "Les Misérables."

Dancers performed around a barricade in the center of a stage as the masked torchbearer made their way through the theater.

Marie Antoinette, complete with a severed head, opened up a heavy-metal performance.

A performer dressed like Marie Antoinette (after her head was severed) sang the opening lines of a heavy-metal musical performance during the ceremony.

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The ceremony almost got a little NSFW.

Part of the performance played into Paris' romantic reputation by featuring diverse couples and unique performances.

Scenes set in a library were intercut with the live performances of dancers suspended in the air above the bridge. The dancers gracefully (and safely) fell from suspended heights during the routine as it began raining heavily.

Affectionate moments and kisses were shown between various couples, including a trio that entered a bedroom together (possibly representing a polyamorous relationship).

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All 58 of Ethiopia’s Olympic medals are for track and field.

As the Ethiopia delegates and athletes sailed down the Seine, the US hosts on the NBC broadcast highlighted the team's unique Olympic record.

All 58 of the country's medals have been won for track and field events.

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The Statue of Liberty made an appearance.

During an animated segment of the show, the torchbearer flew in a hot air balloon past a number of recognizable figures, including the titular character from the famous French novella "The Little Prince" and the Statue of Liberty.

The French famously gifted Lady Liberty to the US in the late 1800s, and a smaller version of the statue sits in Paris.

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Statues of women appeared on the Seine during the “Equalité” section.

During the section of the ceremony celebrating equality, statues of significant women in French history rose from the Seine in an hommage to the gender disparity of statues in Paris.

The women featured were Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Louise Michel, Christine de Pizan, Alice Guy and Simone Veil.

After the ceremony, the statues will be gifted to Paris.

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Coco Gauff is the first tennis player to carry the flag for the US.

This year, basketball player LeBron James and tennis player Gauff were the two US Olympians carrying the flag during the parade of nations.

Gauff is the first tennis player to be named a flag bearer for the US.

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French rapper Rim'K mentioned Snoop Dogg during his performance.

When French rapper Rim'K performed, he mentioned Snoop Dogg.

The American musician, who was working as a commentator at the ceremony, could be seen smiling and dancing throughout the performance.

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America has the largest number of athletes in the 2024 Olympics.

America's boat for the parade of nations held 594 athletes, making it the largest team at this Olympic Games.

France is No. 2 with 579 competitors.

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A message calling for peace appeared after “Imagine” was performed.

John Lennon's "Imagine" has been performed at a number of Olympics opening ceremonies. This year, pianist Sofiane Pamart and singer Juliette Armanet took on the quasi-tradition.

After a passionate dance performance meant to represent different turmoils, the musicians performed the peaceful song while floating down the Seine on a flaming stage.

After "Imagine" ended, a message appeared on the screen: "We stand and call for peace."

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The torchbearers weren't all French.

Toward the end of the opening ceremony, famed athletes from the host nation typically carry the torch to the cauldron.

The final procession started with French soccer player Zinedine Zidane. But in a twist of events, he passed the torch to Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who holds the record for the most French Open titles (14).

The tennis player then boarded a speedboat with Romanian gymnast Nadia Comănect, US tennis player Serena Williams, and US track and field star Carl Lewis.

After a short ride on the Seine, the torch was returned to the hands of famous French athletes who lit the cauldron together in the Tuileries Garden.

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Cèlion Dion performed in a rare appearance.

French Canadian singer Dion performed at the end of the ceremony, a rarity since she has been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome.

She performed "Hymne à l'amour," a song made famous by French singer Édith Piaf, on the Eiffel Tower.