The opening ceremony in Paris was so exciting

At 19:41, boat number three sails under the Austerlitz Bridge. On the upper deck, the German flag is clearly visible. World basketball champion Dennis Schröder and judoka Anna-Maria Wagner hold the black, red and gold flag firmly in their hands. Both are beaming together with the other members of the German Olympic team. Thomas Bach, the German president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), rises from his seat in the official gallery to applaud. Next to him: French President Emmanuel Macron.

After a parade of 85 boats and some 6,800 representatives from all 206 participating delegations The Summer Olympics in Paris were finally opened by Macron at 10:54 p.m.

326,000 people on the coast

The setting for this opening ceremony: nothing short of spectacular. Officially, 326,000 people line the banks of the Seine opposite the Eiffel Tower, which will later be illuminated by an impressive laser show. The Greek team traditionally kicks off at 19:38, led by basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Teams from 205 countries follow – Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia and Tuvalu with just one person each.

After just a few minutes, a global superstar provides the first highlight of the show. Pop icon Lady Gaga sings in a black outfit and in the style of Parisian cabaret, surrounded by dancers and pink pompoms. A total of around 20,000 people are deployed, including 2,000 artists. The event is broadcast on 71 large LED walls for everyone to see. And the program contains an incredible number of unusual ideas. The aim of director Thomas Jolly is to present the cultural diversity of France – artistic and musical. He knows how to impressively stage the city with its famous buildings and ends with epic images.

Security concept works

The rigorous security concept is marginal. Anyone who wanted to enter the stands had to undergo strict security checks beforehand.

The downside is the rain. Sometimes it rains over the delegations, including the German one. Rushed rain capes are sold out in no time. The spectators in the stands try to protect themselves with everything they can find. “If you love playing, you won’t be scared by a few drops of rain,” said Tony Estanguet, president of the organizing committee, during his speech. The athletes, spectators and artists see it that way too and turn the opening into a cheerful, wet party.

Emotional speech by IOC President Bach

“What better place than Paris to share the magic of the Olympic Games with the world? Paris, the birthplace of our founding father Pierre de Coubertin, to whom we owe everything. Paris, the City of Light, where he created the modern Olympic Games. Paris, the city of love. Thank you France for this magical welcome,” IOC President Bach said during the spectacular ceremony near the Eiffel Tower.

And who will light the Olympic flame? A secret until the end: French football star Zinédine Zidane will hand over the torch at the Eiffel Tower to Spanish record winner of the French Open Rafael Nadal, who will cross the Seine in a boat with American icons Serena Williams and Carl Lews. On land, a group led by tennis star Amélie Mauresmo will run with the torch through the deserted Louvre and with numerous sporting legends.

In the end, it was Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner, three-time Olympic champions in athletics and two-time judo champions, who lit the fire for the XXXIII. Olympic Games in Paris at 11:22 p.m. – accompanied by superstar Celiné Dion, singing the Edith Piaf classic “L’Hymne à l’amour”. The fire, lit in the Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre, in a ring suspended from a balloon floating 30 meters in the air. These are images that will remain.