Charron, de Grasse lead Canada in rainy trip down Seine as Céline Dion closes Paris 2024 opening ceremony

Quebec powerhouse vocalist returns to world stage after 2-year hiatus

CBC / The Canadian Press 

Céline Dion returned to the world stage at the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris, in her first public performance since revealing she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, to close out the event on Friday.

The Quebecois vocal powerhouse sang “L’Hymne a l’amour,” originally performed by Edith Piaf.

Earlier in the day, Olympic champions Maude Charron and Andre de Grasse held the Maple Leaf high as Canada’s Olympic delegation sailed its way into the Paris Games.

The flag-bearers led a delegation of nearly 200 athletes that represented Canada in a scenic, if rainy, trip down the Seine River as part of the Games’ unique opening ceremony.

Rain began steadily beating down as the boat carrying Canada’s athletes made its way through the parade. The Canadians gamely stood on the top level of their vessel waving at the crowd despite the increasing downpour.

More than three hours into the show, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open. In a gaffe shortly beforehand, the five-ring Olympic flag was raised upside down at the Trocadero across from the Eiffel Tower.

The final torch relay spanned landmarks like the Louvre and included sports legends like tennis greats Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal before French judo champ Teddy Riner and three-time Olympic champion runner Marie-Jose Perec lit the Olympic cauldron attached to a giant balloon, which floated into the Paris night.

More than 200 competing countries entered the Games on boats, passing landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame before ending their journey at the Trocadero.

Canada shared a boat with Chile and China, but the Canadian athletes were easy to spot in bright-red Lululemon bomber jackets.

“Over the next two weeks, more than 330 athletes will represent Team Canada, competing in 28 sports — from swimming, to track and field, to table tennis,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. “With an unmatched display of athleticism, sportsmanship, and talent, our athletes will cement their legacies and inspire the next generation of Canadians.

“A special congratulations to Maude Charron and Andre De Grasse on being named Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag-bearers. You’ve both won gold medals for our country and now you’ll be carrying our flag forward.”

Trudeau did not make the trip to France. Instead, Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough led the Canadian diplomatic delegation at the ceremony.

Ambitious, sprawling event

Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century with a rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy.

In a unique opening ceremony, competitors and representatives from more than 200 competing countries are entering the Games on boats, passing landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame before ending their journey at the Trocadero.

On-and-off showers — the first rain at a Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony in more than 70 years — did not seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river in a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s high-speed rail network.

“The rain can’t stop us,” said U.S. basketball star LeBron James. He and the other American flag bearer, tennis player Coco Gauff, donned clear plastic ponchos.

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French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane kicked off the opening ceremony with the Olympic flame in his hands. In a prerecorded video, he’s seen running and weaving through a Parisian traffic jam before he delivers the flame to a group of children on the metro who then make their way through the Catacombs and to a boat, at which point the broadcast switched to a real-time view of the Seine River.

Cheers were heard along the banks as the boat emerged on the water, with the torch being held by a young boy. As the boat passed under a bridge, it erupted in red, white and blue clouds.

Per Olympic protocol, the first boat carried athletes from Greece, birthplace of the ancient Games. It was followed by the Olympic team of refugee athletes and then, the other nations in French alphabetical order.

A cheer went up from the dignitaries and special guests in the Trocadero when a boat carrying the Refugee Olympic Team was shown onscreen.

Usually during Olympic opening ceremonies, the parade of athletes takes place during a pause in the razzmatazz. But Paris shattered that tradition by having the parade and pageantry at the same time, blending sports and artistic expression.

The six-kilometre cruise down the famous river took athletes and Olympic delegations past several Paris landmarks. The journey culminates at the Trocadeo, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, as the rest of the official proceedings will take place.

Thousands of people made their way through heavy security barricades more than three hours before Friday’s ceremony began to find a spot to take in the spectacle.

Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.”

Gaga’s appearance was a surprise — she was not listed on a program provided to the media in advance — but was heavily rumoured after the singer and actor was spotted in Paris.

French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, the most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world, sang her hit “Djadja” accompanied by the orchestra of the French Republican Guard. She emerged from a pyrotechnic display, wearing an all-gold outfit as she performed with a Republican guard band of the French army.

Merging the elements of opera and rock metal music on the global stage, band Gojira brought their progressive and technical death metal style, while singer Marina Viotti inserted her mezzo-soprano vocals.

The ceremony celebrated women, including 10 golden statues of female pioneers that rose from giant pedestals along the river. Among them was Olympe de Gouges, who drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen in 1791 during the French Revolution. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and was guillotined in 1793.

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The statues will be offered to the city after the ceremony. The Paris Games aim to be the first with equal numbers of men and women competing.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed several dozen of heads of state and government at the Elysee presidential palace Friday afternoon.

Macron’s office said the Elysee reception was “an opportunity for France to deliver a message of peace and tolerance as 10,500 athletes from around the world gather to take part in the world’s biggest event.”

Nigeria women’s basketball team denied entry to boat

The Nigeria women’s basketball team wasn’t allowed to board the delegation’s boat for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, said a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday condition of anonymity because the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented.

Once the team made it to the area where it was supposed to board the boat for the ceremony, the group was denied entry by a Nigerian official who told the players and coaches there were too many people on board. The team then made its way to the athletes village after being turned away. The rest of the Nigerian delegation shared a boat with Niger and Norway.

Messages were left seeking comment from a Nigeria press officer.

The team had been sent logistics for the event before the group made the 2-hour, 28-minute, 138-mile (222 km) trip as part of a bus caravan of several teams from Lille, where the preliminary basketball rounds are being played. The buses had a police escort.

Live events from the rest of the Paris 2024 Olympics are being broadcast on the CBC TV network, TSN and Sportsnet. Or choose exactly what you want to watch by live streaming on CBC Gem or CBC Sports’ Paris 2024 website and app.

With files from The Associated Press

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