Route Paris 2024: Opening Ceremony
On Friday, July 26, 2024, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games will take place. For the first time in the history of the Summer Games, this event is not being held in a stadium, but on and around the iconic Seine. Do you know when the elements of the Olympic Games opening ceremony (lighting of the flame, parade of nations) were first introduced?
1928 Olympic Games (Amsterdam)
The Games of the 9th Olympiad were held in Amsterdam in 1928. Amsterdam had previously attempted to host the Olympic Games, but had to concede to war victim Belgium (Antwerp) in 1920 and to Paris, under IOC President Pierre de Coubertin, in 1924. For the 1928 Games, Amsterdam was chosen over Los Angeles. These were the first Games not held under De Coubertin's presidency. In 1925, he had handed over the presidency to the Belgian Count Henri de Baillet-Latour.
For the first time, the parade of nations was led by Greece, the country where the Games originated. The parade was closed by the host country, a tradition that is maintained to this day.
Opening ceremony Paris 2024
On Friday, July 26, 2024, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games will take place. For the first time in the history of the Summer Games, this event is not being held in a stadium, but on and around the iconic Seine. The ceremony begins at 19:30 PM and is expected to last 3 hours and 45 minutes. It promises to be a unique spectacle, making use of the natural light of the setting sun.
Approximately 7000 athletes are expected to be transported in about 85 boats. Following tradition, the Greek delegation will depart first. The other countries will follow in alphabetical order. The French delegation from the host country will arrive last at Pont d'Iéna for the grand finale at the Place du Trocadéro. The Netherlands will be present with seventy athletes. 3x3 basketball player Worthy de Jong (1st Olympic) and handball player Lois Abbingh (3rd Olympic) will carry the flag on the Dutch boat. The Netherlands will share the boat with Peru (according to the French alphabet: Pays Bas en Pérou).
The boats cover a six-kilometer route from Pont d'Austerlitz near the Jardin des Plantes park to Pont d'Iéna, opposite the Eiffel Tower at Trocadéro. Along the quay and on the bridges of the Seine, there are performances and shows by various artists. The boat parade also passes Olympic competition venues such as Place de la Concorde, where the BMX competitions will take place.
Thomas Jolly, theater actor and director, has been appointed artistic director of the ceremony. He aims to showcase the multifaceted culture of France. “France is Edith Piaf… it is also opera, it is rap, it is a whole range of musical styles,” Jolly said earlier this year. “The idea is not to project a fixed identity.” The public can attend the ceremony for free; approximately 222.000 people can be accommodated on the upper banks of the Seine. Additionally, 104.000 paying spectators are welcome on the lower banks of the Seine. The organizers expect that 1.5 billion TV viewers worldwide will watch the parade on the Seine.
It was a great show on TV with Lady Gaga and many others. A bit long, though.