Breaking away from tradition under the slogan "Games Wide Open" aiming to be accessible to everyone outside of a stadium, Friday's rain-soaked opening ceremony in the French capital was unique from the athletes' entrance.
Athletes from each country paraded along the Seine on boats touring various landmarks of the historic city. This creative spectacle was watched by IOC President Thomas Bach and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The waterborne procession covered a 6-km stretch, starting from the Pont d'Austerlitz to the Trocadero Square near the Eiffel Tower. Along the route, the athletes passed by numerous French landmarks, including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and other iconic monuments.
Despite on-and-off showers, spectators holding umbrellas packed along the Seine's riverbanks and bridges with some watching from balconies as the Olympians sailed down the river.
Honoring Olympic tradition, the athletes' parade started with the first boat carrying those from Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, followed by the Olympic team of refugee athletes and then other countries in French alphabetical order.
Led by flag-bearers - high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and swimmer Kim Seo-yeong, the Korean team arrived on the 48th boat in a flotilla of 85 carrying athletes from 206 countries, with North Korea arriving 153rd. In a blunder, a broadcast mistakenly introduced South Korea as North Korea.
Not only is its opening innovative, but the Paris Olympics are also notable for having almost equal numbers of male and female athletes for the first time, bringing together a total of 10,700 athletes to compete for 329 gold medals in 32 disciplines until Aug. 11.
Meanwhile, arson attacks caused disruption to France's high-speed rail network, stranding an estimated 800,000 passengers, just hours before the opening of the quadrennial global sporting event. Friday's fires led to cancellations and delays at a time of particularly heavy traffic over the summer holiday weekend.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.