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PARIS (AP) — Celebrating its reputation as the birthplace of the revolution, Paris on Friday opened its first Summer Olympics in a century with a rule-breaking opening rite studded with stars and whimsy, demonstrating the resilience of the city while the government faced alleged acts of sabotage. The French high-speed rail network.
Widespread unrest sparked by what the French government said were coordinated arson attacks on high-speed rail lines and rains in Paris deteriorated the atmosphere ahead of the ceremony.
But when the global audience tuned in, the show’s impressive premiere at 7:30 p. m. took place. increases morale. A fun short film starring football icon Zinedine Zidane. Columns of blue, white and red French smoke followed. And Lady Gaga sang, in French, with dancers waving pink feather pom-poms, adding a cabaret atmosphere to the start of what was expected to be a more than three-hour show.
Crowds gathered along the Seine River and watched from balconies as Olympic groups began parading in boats along the canal.
The stakes for France were immense. Dozens of heads of state and government attended, and everyone saw Paris as a gigantic open-air theater.
The Parisian rite was located along the Seine River, the city’s landmarks became stages for dancers, singers, and other artists.
Rains that drenched spectators and athletes and chaos in Parisian resorts highlighted the dangers of Paris’ ambitious decisions. The extensive rite allowed organizers to transport, level and protect larger crowds than they would have been if they had followed the lead of previous Olympic host cities that opened their doors with stadium displays.
However, as the exhibition progressed, optimism faded that Paris, true to its motto that claims to be unsinkable, would win its bet.
While the nightly rains predicted by the national weather service Météo France do not delay the rite and many of the planned surprises, the Parisian organizers crossed their hands to make the sky transparent to help them in their vision of highlighting the city and its emblematic monuments. .
Rainy weather may make the rite even more exhausting for the thousands of Olympic athletes parading in boats along the Seine and for the thousands of spectators on its banks and bridges, more than have gathered at the French national stadium.
Paris organizers said they expect to have 6,800 of the 10,500 athletes before embarking on the next 16 days of competition.
“Of course, when we organize a show, we prefer smart weather,” Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet told France Inter.
But the rite “was designed so that it could be performed in the rain,” he said.
“It will be a little different,” he added. “We will adapt. “
Some spectators who followed the organizers’ recommendation to arrive early following the direction of the rite were furious at the long wait to get to their seats.
“Paris has been fantastic, everything about the Olympics and the data has been horrible,” said Tony Gawne, a 54-year-old Texan who arrived six hours early with his wife.
“When you spend $6,000 on two tickets, well, it’s kind of frustrating. “
But Paris has many tricks up its sleeve. The Eiffel Tower, at whose head the clouds are still visible, the Notre Dame Cathedral restored from the ashes of its 2019 fire, the Louvre Museum and other emblematic places will be the stars of the inauguration ceremony. Award-winning director Thomas Jolly, the show’s artistic mastermind, used the Parisian cityscape with its zinc-gray rooftops as a playground for his imagination.
Their mission: to tell the story of France, its people, its history and its essence in a way that leaves an indelible mark on the Olympic public. To refresh the symbol and self-confidence of the French capital, which was hit several times by fatal extremists. Capture how Paris also aims to revive the Olympics, with the Summer Games striving to make them more attractive and sustainable.
This is a wonderful request. Thus Paris becomes great, very great. This also applies to safety. Large fenced spaces in central Paris are closed to others without passes, and the sky during the rite will be a no-fly zone for 150 kilometers (93 miles) around.
Many main points of the show, which will run until sunset and into the Parisian night, remain closely guarded secrets to maintain the surprise effect. Lady Gaga was spotted before the show, composing a song to warm up. He raised his hand and saludó. su hand. The French media also talked about Celine Dion and the French stars among the thousands of artists imaginable.
Jolly also recently filmed French Air Force planes practicing drawing a center in the Parisian sky with colorful smoke trails.
Soccer icon Zinedine Zidane, who led France to ecstasy at the 1998 World Cup, is among the speculations about who might light the Olympic cauldron. Another suggestion is that organizers could simply bestow honor on survivors of the 2015 attacks through gunmen and suicide bombers from the Islamic State organization, which killed another 130 people in and around Paris.
The identity of the latest torchbearers remains the country’s biggest secret. Estanguet said Friday morning that he knew “the personality or the athlete” and that he had not yet spoken to that person.
“I intend to tell the carrier today,” he said. “He or she doesn’t know. “
The general lines of the rite were announced in the past and are surprising for their ambition. French President Emmanuel Macron said that, first of all, it seemed “a far-fetched idea and not very serious. “
Athletes will parade in boats on an east-west route along a 6-kilometer stretch of the Seine. 320,000 ticket holders and guests, like many other spectators, will be spectators from balconies and windows.
During the athletes’ nautical adventure, the splendors of Paris will be revealed to them. They will go from ancient monuments to Olympic sports stadiums.
The Place de la Concorde, where French revolutionaries guillotined King Louis XVI and royalty, is now home to skateboarding and sports, and the iron, stone, and glass Grand Palace, a place for fencing and taekwondo.
The resting position of Napoleon Bonaparte’s golden dome, the scene of Olympic archery, and the Eiffel Tower, which donated iron that was embedded in the Olympic gold, silver and silver medals. bronze. They will be won on the 329 medal occasions in the 32 sports.
Up to 45,000 police and gendarmes, as well as 10,000 soldiers, will ensure the safety of the rite and its VIP guests, the presidency of IOC President Thomas Bach and Macron.
The aim of Paris, says Estanguet, is “to show the whole world and all French people that in this country we are capable of doing exceptional things”.
AP writers Megan Janetsky and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
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