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2024 Olympics opening ceremony: who lit the flame, how Ukraine was welcomed and other details
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The main sporting event of this summer, the 2024 Olympic Games, kicked off in the French capital of Paris on Friday, July 26. Traditionally, the official opening ceremony set the tone for the competition, which was not held at a stadium for the first time in history.
The organizers decided to put on a show on the Seine River. OBOZ.UA was broadcasting the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics online.
- The ceremony lasted exactly four hours.
- For the first time, the show started with a parade of athletes moving on boats.
- Lady Gaga and Celine Dion performed during the show.
- Ukraine entered the parade at number 193 and was greeted with applause.
- The Olympic flame was lit by athlete Marie-Jose Perec and judoka Teddy Riner.
LIVE STREAM OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
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00:34. That's it! The four-hour show is over! It was great!
00:28. Celine Dion is closing the ceremony.
00:22. Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner have lit the Olympic flame!
00:20. Now a bunch of athletes are passing the torch to each other.
00:16. Now the Paralympians are with the flame.
00:15. Next, Tony Parker takes it.
00:13. Amelie Mauresmo carries the flame.
00:10. It's still unclear who will be the torch bearer.
00:00. The light show is here.
23:57. Zidane passes the fire to Nadal.
23:57. Yes, yes, yes. Zidane is here.
23:54. Macron has announced that the 2024 Games are open!
23:48. Thomas Bach says banal words about unification, the power of sport and other blah, blah, blah.
23:38. The sequence of boring speeches by officials begins.
23:29. The Olympic anthem will be played and the flag with five rings will be raised.
23:26. The flags of all participating countries have been brought to the Eiffel Tower.
23:19. Footage of the Olympics of previous years is shown.
23:06. We are approaching the main intrigue, which is who will light the fire. By the way, there have been no unnecessary official speeches so far.
22:54. We've made it past the line.
22:52. The French have appeared to the applause of the audience. And the parade ends with this.
22:48. The Ukrainians sailed through the parade! There was applause and chants of "Ukraine! Ukraine!". Now the vows will be made.
22:31. We have a reference to fashion now. Actors are imitating the show.
22:19. Our guys are off to the parade.
22:02. Russia is already b**ching about the opening. Sobchak said, "What a terrible opening of the Olympics. Hell of a bad taste. Like Saratov".
21:55. And this is how Ukrainians were greeted before the ceremony.
21:50. Now there are many references to the historical achievements of France - cinema, aeronautics, science.
21:42. Problems have begun - one of the screens near the VIP box has gone out.
21:39. 5 countries are represented at the tournament by a single athlete - Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia and Tuvalu.
21:32. It's already pouring down in Paris.
21:28. Back to the parade. It's a mess, not a ceremony.
21:26. The head of world football, Gianni Infantino, is sad.
21:20. Gymnasts soar over the French capital.
21:14. Whoa! Rock has visited this hole! It's Godzilla, heavy metal band.
21:08. They show how Olympic medals are made. And the rain in Paris is getting worse.
21:02. The Chinese have passed. How did they not get a barge?
21:00. So far, no sign of the promised disaster. The rain is not too heavy to interfere with the ceremony.
20:54. The parade is still going on.
20:53. Lady Gaga has finished her number.
20:48. We have a musical break.
20:46. Uh-huh. The parade will also be interrupted. It's been tampered with in several parts.
20:43. And so the official part of the opening ceremony began.
20:40. The parade starts. Greece is first.
20:39. 58 Ukrainians will take part in the parade of athletes.
20:38. Svitolina, "I hope that our appearance will remind everyone of what is happening in our country. It is a great honor for us to carry the flag of the country."
20:36. The French flag on the bridge is now lift up nicely.
20:35. Macron is in place.
20:32. Zidane and Jamel Debbouze open the show.
THE CEREMONY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!
5 MINUTES TO OPENING
15 MINUTES TO OPENING. Not much rain so far.
20 MINUTES TO OPENING. Our team will be in the same boat as Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Uruguay.
30 MINUTES TO OPENING. Our team are at the parade and ready for the ceremony.
45 MINUTES TO OPENING. It is not yet known who will light the fire. Journalists rush between football legend Zinedine Zidane and movie star Omar Sy.
50 MINUTES TO OPENING. Tom Jolly will direct the ceremony.
60 MINUTES TO OPENING. Another innovation is that the athletes' parade will open the ceremony, rather than actually closing it, as has always been the case.
70 MINUTES TO OPENING. The organizers claim that the Games in Paris will be the first ever gender-equal Games. They say there will be an equal number of men and women athletes.
2 HOURS TO OPENING. 193 Ukrainians will appear at the parade. Greece will open it, France will close it. The "neutrals" do not participate.
3 HOURS TO OPENING. Snoop Dogg takes part in the Olympic torch relay.
3 HOURS TO OPENING. We've talked to our flag bearer Mykhailo Romanchuk. He previously refused to participate in the competition on the Seine.
6 HOURS TO OPENING. France has new problems. There has been a large-scale disruption in train traffic, and there have been some reports of terrorist threats.
7 HOURS TO OPENING. Parisians cheered on their rugby team yesterday.
9 HOURS TO OPENING. An OBOZ.UA correspondent from the scene says that in connection with the opening on the Seine, the entire center of Paris along the river has been blocked since yesterday and three metro stations in the center have been closed. No Louvre, no Tuileries garden. Police, both regular and mounted, are everywhere.
10 HOURS TO OPENING. The news is not good. Heavy rain is expected in Paris in the evening, and meteorologists are already predicting a real disaster at the ceremony.
11 HOURS TO OPENING. The medal distribution will begin tomorrow. And Ukrainian footballers will play their second match of the tournament against Morocco.
22 HOURS TO OPENING. Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are scheduled to perform at the show.
22 HOURS TO OPENING. It's official: Elina Svitolina and Mykhailo Romanchuk are the flag bearers of the Ukrainian national team at the ceremony.
23 HOURS TO OPENING. 3000 artists will take part in the ceremony.
24 HOURS TO OPENING. OBOZ.UA has already visited the Olympic Village.
24 HOURS TO OPENING. A fantastic 326,000 spectators are expected on the banks and quays along the Seine.
24 HOURS TO OPENING. We already know that Elina Svitolina will be one of the flag bearers of the Ukrainian national team. There is information that she will carry the country's flag together with swimmer Mykhailo Romanchuk.
24 HOURS TO OPENING. It must be said that due to innovations, the parade of athletes will be unusual. Instead of the traditional march in front of the spectators in the arena, the athletes will sail on boats.
24 HOURS TO OPENING. Greetings to all sports fans. On Friday night, billions of people around the world will be watching the grand show in Paris.
The show will last for three hours and will end with the lighting of the Olympic flame and the traditional fireworks. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to attend the ceremony.
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