Showmanship, spectacle, effervescent beauty and performance have always gone hand-in-hand with the City of Lights. Could there be a more appropriate city than Paris for the Olympic opening ceremony?
If the Olympic Games are the utmost test of skill, a challenge to approach the human limit for athleticism and mastery of a sport, the opening ceremony is the most grandiose display of art and culture. The championships of performance and flair.
The quadrennial ceremonies are nothing less than iconic, giving host nations the chance to present their most vicious selves. And what better place for France to do that than under the looming lights of the Eiffel Tower?
Follow along with us here on Sportsnet for live updates and best moments from what should prove to be a bright and spectacular opening ceremony from Paris.
Who turned the strobes on?
Is this the opening ceremony or a 2012 Jersey Shore club?
Sandstorm, Stereo Love, Music Sounds Better With You. The Olympics came through with the dance hits, turning the ceremony into a dance party once all the delegations had their time to shine.
The night has finally taken hold in Paris, making the entire city feel like a massive club as the DJ in charge sprins banger after banger.
Just don’t slip.
Rain showing no quit
Athletes are resilient, but so is mother nature.
The rain hasn’t let up one bit tonight and the trocadero where all the athletes are lining up after getting off the boats is absolutely soaked.
Someone should bring in janitor extraordinaire Will Hunting to mop this up. A true display of athleticism.
Paris Fashion Week
Mongolia’s Olympic uniform has been the talk of the town for the past week, with their iconic tribute to their country’s traditional garb absolutely eating on the world’s biggest stage.
It’s only right they show out on perhaps the most iconic fashion city in the world, the home of couture and vogue. Fans finally got the first in-person look at the uniforms as they took to their boat on Friday.
Paris continued to lean into their fashion-forward theme, putting on a whole runway show on one of the bridges overlooking the Seine during the ceremony, filled with exuberant and electric looks. No better place to serve than that.
Earlier in the day, musician Pharrell Williams carried the torch to the top of the Basilique Saint-Denis and placed it into a Louis-Vuitton trunk.
Madame Gaga “humbled” to perform in Paris
Following killing it on the banks of the Seine, Lady Gaga took to Instagram to express her gratitude for after the opportunity to perform at the opening ceremony.
She also explained the homage to Zizi Jeanmaire and told stories of how the two have crossed paths.
Canadian athletics team soaking up the sun
While Andre De Grasse had a patriotic duty to be in under the rain-soaked skies of Paris, the rest of the Canadian athletics team got to sit back in sunny Spain as they await their competitions to begin on the second week of the Olympics.
According to CBC’s Devin Heroux, the team is staging in the hot Mediterranean city before they make their way to Paris. He added that they’re having their own opening ceremony of sorts so as to not miss out on the fun.
O Canada
Canadian athletes took it upon themselves to sail out to the beat of their own anthem.
Legendary sprinter and Canadian flag bearer Andre De Grasse took to Instagram Live as the team chanted O Canada as they sailed down the stream of the Seine.
Ravel in the rain
The Olympics are the greatest test of skill, and we’re even seeing that in the opening ceremony. Is there anything harder than playing a grand piano in the pouring rain?
The pianist at the ceremony set the scene and take full advantage of the weather, making the performance as dreamy and mystical as possible.
Ironically, he performed a rendition of “Jeux d’eau” by French composer Maurice Ravel, which translates directly to “Fountains” or “Water Games.” Planned or not, what a moment.
Where’s Celine!?
Just like the Mona Lisa, Celine Dion is also nowhere to be found.
She wasn’t there for when Canada came out and now even the Brits are getting restless as diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover imitated the iconic Rose and Jack Titanic pose. Only just to do that while on a boat.
It hurts to wait for Celine this long, but our hearts will go on…
Mona Lisa is missing?
Someone call Tom Hanks. The Phantom of the Opera stole the Mona Lisa.
There hasn’t been a crossover this wild since the “That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana,” but when you’ve got as big a budget as the Olympics, I guess anything can be bought.
The mystery of the masked torchbearer continues.
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
The tableaus just keep coming, with chapters four and five dedicated to equality and fraternity respectively. The weird Phantom of the Opera-style mysterious figure just keeps on making appearances and lit up the pathway to the Institut de France with some wicked pyrotechnics.
Iconic French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura blew the roof off the place with a stunning, powerful and gold-medal-worthy performance of her chart-topping track “Dja Dja.”
Let them eat cake
Could there be a bigger switch-up than going from the can-can to heavy metal?
The third “tableau” of the night was dedicated to liberty and began with a living painting of a scene from Les Miserables.
It then panned to a headless Marie Antoinette in a window on the edge of the Seine and erupted into a loud and boisterous metal show headlined by French group Gojira. Moshing was not recommended for fear of falling into the river.
And who says metal can’t be operatic? Both genres are grandiose and at times overly dramatic. So why not go right into some opera right after with a performance of the iconic Carmen by Bizet?
Can you do the Can Can(ada)
337 athletes, draped in red and led along at the front of their boat by Maude Charron and Andre De Grasse.
Though Celine Dion didn’t come out as the Canadians did, the team still got an appropriate song and soundtrack to announce their presence on the world stage.
Dozens of dancers dressed in cabaret were posted up along the side of the river breaking it down to the tune of ‘Galop infernal’ by Jacques Offenbach, or as the cool kids call it, the “Can Can song.“
Basketball in a big spot
Hoopers are well-represented at the Olympics this year, especially during the opening ceremony.
Not only is LeBron James carrying the American flag, becoming the first U.S. men’s player to do so, but Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo carried his nation’s flag and because of that, was the ceremony’s first athlete to appear due to the tradition of Greece being the first nation to step out.
He’s the first-ever black flag bearer for Greece.
Former Raptor Dennis Schröder also carried the flag for Germany and women’s hooper Emma Meeseman did the honours for Belgium.
Gaga for Gaga
Would it be Madame Gaga in Paris?
As chic as ever, the eccentric pop star put on a feather-filled show on the edge of the river. She sang “Mon Truc En plume” by French performer Zizi Jeanmaire.
Her turn to more jazzy sounds and show tunes was perfect for the Cabaret-influenced performance, drawing shades of Liza Minnelli with her showmanship and Diana Krall with her abilities on the piano keys.
However, no matter how much you may have paid attention in high school French class, chances are it was somewhat tough to fully follow along with Lady Gaga’s singing accent. Even French President Emmanuel Macron looked slightly confused.
Hang it in the Louvre
Straight out of a Renaissance painting, smoke in the colours of the French flag emerged from a bridge overlooking the Seine as intricate details and artistry were projected onto the bridge itself. Take that Botticelli.
Twitter account ArtButMakeItSports came through in a perfect way to compliment the eruption.
The Olympics: Directed by Damien Chazelle?
A promo video featuring French football legend Zinedine Zidane running through the streets, metro and crypts of Paris kicked off the festivities.
The directorial vision was certainly an interesting one, as it began with a possible nod to Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, with bright colours, traffic jams and a swinging jazz soundtrack.
The torch was then passed to a group of kids as they boarded a boat that looked like it was guided by Charon, the ferryman on the river Styx. Greek mythology might be a bit on the nose there.
Nevermind, it was actually the Phantom of the Opera.
No spirits dampened in Paris
What’s a little rain? If the downpour wasn’t enough to put out the Olympic flame, it certainly won’t be enough to dampen the spirits at the opening ceremony.
Athletes and spectators alike are decked out in some rain-proof ponchos to guard from the elements. Even better: they’re see-through, so the fashion on display for each country’s ceremonial garb isn’t watered down as they sail across the Seine.
A fit for a king
If you paid attention in history class, you’d know the French don’t have a ton of love for royalty. Basketball royalty might get a somewhat different treatment at the Olympic Games.
King James donned a suit made to stand out from the rest, a sweet white coat with red and blue accented lapels from Ralph Lauren perfect for a post on LeagueFits. He paired it with a pair of normal, run-of-the-mill light blue jeans, perfect for a post on literally any construction site in Downtown Toronto.
Only the best for the first U.S. men’s basketball flag bearer.
Being an Olympic torchbearer: Nuthin’ but a G thang
Every time it comes around, there are always a few celebrity cameos during the torch relay as the Olympic flame makes its way to the cauldron to signify the official start of the games. From Wayne Gretzky in Vancouver and Muhammad Ali in Atlanta to … Snoop Dogg in Paris?
Well-known for doing sidequests in his spare time — like starting up a cooking show with Martha Stewart or playing flag football — this one might take the cake. The Doggfather strutted his way through the streets of Paris carrying the flame and making sure not to “Drop it Like It’s Hot,” wearing some gold kicks to match the sheen of the City of Lights and looked as “Young, Wild and Free” as ever.
