2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

Logistics preparations were expected to be finalized by the end of 2023, with certain rehearsals occurring in some secret venues without public presence before the event. In some specific situations, they were carried out on-site, and were considered "teasers" by Thierry Reboul, executive director for the Games. The first camera test shots were done in September 2023 and coverage of the event was expected to be provided by 130 cameras placed in strategic positions.{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Owen |date=20 September 2023 |title=Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony preparations to be finalised by end of year |work=Inside the Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1140975/paris-2024-opening-ceremony |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921145814/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1140975/paris-2024-opening-ceremony |archive-date=21 September 2023}} The event was broadcast live to 80 giant screens along the route of the Seine.{{Cite web |last=Delorme |first=Anne-Claire |date=10 July 2023 |title=Paris 2024 opening ceremony: why you (really) shouldn't miss it? |url=https://www.france.fr/en/paris/article/opening-ceremony-og-paris-2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929035710/https://www.france.fr/en/paris/article/opening-ceremony-og-paris-2024 |archive-date=29 September 2023 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=Explore France}} Directed and created by theatre and television actor and director Thomas Jolly, it was the first opening ceremony held outside of an Olympic stadium since the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires.{{Cite news |date=17 July 2023 |title=Seine-sational? Paris rehearses waterborne opening ceremony for 2024 Olympics |work=France24 |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230717-paris-practises-tricky-olympics-opening-ceremony |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717115930/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230717-paris-practises-tricky-olympics-opening-ceremony |archive-date=17 July 2023}} The choreography was created by {{ill|Maud Le Pladec|fr}}.

In the first phase of planning, the Games' Organizing Committee originally expected attendance to be upwards of 500,000 non-paying people and an additional 100,000 paying spectators on the lower quays of the river,{{Cite news |last1=Lepeltier |first1=Nicolas |last2=Le Coeur |first2=Philippe |date=2 November 2023 |title=Paris 2024 opening ceremony: Authorities consider admitting around 300,000 spectators for free |work=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2023/11/02/paris-2024-opening-ceremony-authorities-consider-admitting-around-300-000-spectators-for-free_6220485_9.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102175713/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2023/11/02/paris-2024-opening-ceremony-authorities-consider-admitting-around-300-000-spectators-for-free_6220485_9.html |archive-date=2 November 2023}} for an expected total of 600,000. Although the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics held in Gangwon were the first to have a ticket-holding audience following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time in the senior Olympics since the 2018 Winter Olympics to allow international spectators, after the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony having a reduced number of local spectators.{{Cite news |last=Pretot |first=Julien |date=21 December 2023 |title=Paris 2024 has contingency plans for opening ceremony |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/paris-2024-has-contingency-plans-opening-ceremony-2023-12-21/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221231956/https://www.reuters.com/sports/paris-2024-has-contingency-plans-opening-ceremony-2023-12-21/ |archive-date=21 December 2023}} However, after a suggestion in May 2023 by Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that this be limited to between 300,000 and 400,000 free of charge, and after additional concerns of security and logistics, the figures was reduced to a maximum of 300,000 in November 2023. In late December 2023, a further reduction was proposed, as security services would have preferred the ceremony in a stadium to facilitate implementing security measures.{{Cite news |last=Daffunchio Picazo |first=Raúl |date=28 December 2023 |title=Paris 2024: From a big opening for all to a small one for some |work=Inside the Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1143147/from-grand-opening-for-all-opening-some |url-status=live |access-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229050947/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1143147/from-grand-opening-for-all-opening-some |archive-date=29 December 2023}} The stands stretched from the François Mitterrand Library to the Eiffel Tower.

The public lined the banks of the Seine, sitting on a {{Convert|6|km|mi|adj=on}} stretch on the upper and lower quays as well of rivers that cross each side of the river. The organizing team counted between 6,000 and 8,000 volunteers and workers. The ceremony directors had originally projected 2,000 dancers, but this was lowered to 400 dancers in a total of 3,000 performers.{{Cite news |last1=Arhirova |first1=Hanna |last2=Azooni |first2=Tale |last3=Cohen |first3=Jay |last4=Charlton |first4=Angela |last5=Corbet |first5=Sylvie |last6=Dunbar |first6=Graham |last7=Fendrich |first7=Howard |last8=Fryer |first8=Jenna |last9=Leicester |first9=John |date=2024-07-26 |title=2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, as it happened |url=https://apnews.com/live/olympics-opening-ceremony-2024-updates |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=Associated Press |agency=Associated Press}} All personnel involved in water, air and land performances in total numbered 45,000, with an average of per {{Convert|3,750|/km2|/sqmi|adj=pre|people}}. This figure does not include the roughly 2,000 security agents required to monitor the entry tents of paid ticketholders and law enforcement located on the elevated docks throughout the course. The cast and athletes started their travel on the river from the Pont d'Austerlitz to the Pont d'Iena, in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Jardins du Trocadéro, where the main protocol was held. The closest the general public could get to the athletes and parade on the Seine were on docked parties and the restaurant boats.

In May 2023, the first series of tickets for the event went on sale via ballot for the first time, with prices ranging from €90 to €2,700,{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Patrick |date=23 April 2023 |title=Paris 2024 reveals flotilla of boats signed up for historic Opening Ceremony along Seine |work=Inside the Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136284/paris-2024-opening-ceremony-boat-plans |url-status=live |access-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425061955/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136284/paris-2024-opening-ceremony-boat-plans |archive-date=25 April 2023}} with the latter being the most expensive tickets overall for the Games.{{Cite news |last=Muñana |first=Gustavo |date=23 November 2023 |title=Olympics-Paris 2024 to sell 400,000 tickets next week, 7.2 million already sold |work=Inside the Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1142626/olympics-paris-2024-sell-400000-tickets |url-status=live |access-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125232308/https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1142626/olympics-paris-2024-sell-400000-tickets |archive-date=25 November 2023}}

In early 2022, the city government announced that due to security concerns, the riverside book stalls could be removed, leading to legal disputes until 13 February 2024, when the French President Emmanuel Macron shelved the plan.

{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Jaclyn |date=8 February 2022 |title=Paris quayside booksellers dig in for Olympics battle |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7e7b8925-9fcd-402e-8d7e-026d4d2df200 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Financial Times}}{{Cite web |date=13 February 2024 |title=OLYMPICS Macron shelves plan to remove riverside Paris booksellers for opening ceremony |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics-macron-shelves-plan-remove-riverside-paris-booksellers-opening-ceremony-2024-02-13/ |website=Reuters}}

File:Gradins Cérémonie Ouverture Jeux Olympiques Fleuve Seine - Paris VII (FR75) - 2024-07-27 - 4.jpg

The total number of boats and barges was near 160,{{Cite news |date=20 December 2023 |title=France prepared to change plans on 2024 Olympics opening based on security |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/france-prepared-change-plans-2024-olympics-opening-based-security-2023-12-20/ |url-status=live |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221032500/https://www.reuters.com/sports/france-prepared-change-plans-2024-olympics-opening-based-security-2023-12-20/ |archive-date=21 December 2023}} with around 58 taking part in a reduced rehearsal carried out in July 2023, carrying athlete delegations, television crews and emergency services. 7,000{{Cite news |last=Hird |first=Alison |date=26 July 2024 |title='We need this moment of peace' say Olympic opening ceremony storytellers |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20240726-we-need-this-moment-of-peace-say-olympic-opening-ceremony-storytellers |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=Radio France Internationale}} of the 10,500 athletes were expected to take part,{{Cite magazine |last=Ewe |first=Koh |date=5 July 2024 |title=Everything to Know About the History-Making Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://time.com/6995210/olympics-opening-ceremony-paris-when-how-to-watch-performances-security/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724212313/https://time.com/6995210/olympics-opening-ceremony-paris-when-how-to-watch-performances-security/ |archive-date=24 July 2024 |access-date=25 July 2024 |magazine=Time |issn=0040-781X}} with 6,800 who actually ended up participating.{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Teddy Riner et Marie-José Pérec pour allumer la flamme, Céline Dion sur la Tour Eiffel... revivez la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris |trans-title=Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec to light the flame, Céline Dion on the Eiffel Tower... relive the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics |url=https://www.lamontagne.fr/paris-75000/sports/en-direct-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024_14541948/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728224754/https://www.lamontagne.fr/paris-75000/sports/en-direct-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024_14541948/ |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=La Montagne |language=fr |issn=0767-4007}} In April 2023, 116 vessels from 42 river companies had been committed, with an expected 98% of all boats to be used being based in Paris Metropolitan Area and the rest from regional boat companies, including local sponsor Highfield Boats. Some boats that carried some delegations are Bateaux Mouches that routinely sail the Seine.

In February 2024, it was announced the number of spectators to attend the opening ceremony would be reduced from the proposed 600,000 spectators to around 300,000. There were 100,000 paid tickets for the ceremony, with around 200,000 free tickets.{{Cite web |last=Daffunchio Picazo |first=Raúl |date=4 February 2024 |title=Fewer fans allowed at Paris opening ceremony |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1143624/fewer-fans-allowed-paris-ceremony |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Inside the Games}}{{Cite web |date=31 January 2024 |title=France downsizes Paris 2024 opening ceremony crowd to around 300,000 spectators |url=https://apnews.com/article/olympics-paris-oepning-ceremony-downsizing-0cc56fee1fb6a980274c67546c24bc10 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} The next month an exact amount of 326,000 tickets was stated, with 104,000 paid tickets for the lowest bank and 222,000 free tickets for the higher banks.{{Cite web |date=5 March 2024 |title=326,000 tickets for Paris Olympics opening ceremony, minister says |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240305-326-000-tickets-for-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-minister-says |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}} The free tickets were distributed in three rounds and aimed at families with low incomes living in underprivileged areas, sports movements, schools, volunteers and local workers including traders.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=27 May 2024 |title=Paris begins sharing out free tickets for Olympics' opening ceremony |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/1064271/paris-begins-sharing-out-free-tickets-for-olympics-opening-ceremony |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=The Brussels Times |language=en}} As originally proposed, no free tickets were given to group of tourists.{{Cite web |last= |date=6 March 2024 |title=Paris won't allow tourists free access to Olympics opening ceremony along the Seine River |url=https://english.elpais.com/sports/2024-03-05/paris-wont-allow-tourists-free-access-to-olympics-opening-ceremony-along-the-seine-river.html |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}

The general rehearsal of the ceremony, which was scheduled for 24 June 2024, was postponed due to a strong flow in the Seine River.{{Cite web |date=21 June 2024 |title=Paris Olympics opening ceremony rehearsal postponed due to strong Seine flow |url=https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240621-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-rehearsal-postponed-due-to-strong-seine-flow |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}} It was rescheduled for 16 July 2024.{{Cite web |date=13 June 2024 |title=Paris Olympic opening rehearsal on fast-flowing Seine set for July 16 |url=https://www.thelocal.fr/20240713/paris-olympic-opening-rehearsal-on-fast-flowing-seine-set-for-july-16 |website=The Local}}

Thierry Reboul, COJOP 2024 Director of Ceremonies, claimed that the inspiration for the event came in 2019 when he was walking along the river;{{Cite news |last1=Rose |first1=Michel |last2=Pretot |first2=Julien |date=2024-07-25 |title=Macron's 'crazy' Olympics plan for a floating parade on the Seine |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/how-macrons-crazy-olympics-ceremony-along-seine-came-about-2024-07-25/ |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters}} the original plans were to hold the ceremony at the Stade de France. But COJOP2024 head Tony Estanguet wished from the start to "throw away the rule book". Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo assembled a committee to develop the creative aspects of the ceremony before COJOP2024 hired a creative director. The committee's chair, Patrick Boucheron, would eventually be one of the four individuals hired by Jolly to develop the script. Even before being chosen to plan the ceremony, Jolly had "dreamed of delegations arriving by hot air balloon, a French invention, and of the heads of dead kings rising from the Seine to watch the ceremony", yet this idea was not implemented. Jolly and four scriptwriters planned the ceremony. They wore puffer jackets while going out on boats along the river from the Austerlitz Bridge to the Eiffel Tower. After these excursions, they spent nine months writing the ceremony script. They took inspiration from the history of Paris, and its main themes consisted of love and "shared humanity".

After determining 12 important scenes of French history to represent, Jolly hired four subdirectors to develop the sounds, costumes and choreography of the event. Daphné Bürki and Olivier Bériot were in charge of costumes while {{Interlanguage link|Maud Le Pladec|fr}} was entrusted the choreography and dance,{{Cite web |last=Padovani |first=Loïc |date=26 July 2024 |title=Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics: The (Expected) Moment of Glory for Thomas Jolly, Artistic Director of the Event |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/opening-ceremony-paris-2024-olympics-glory-thomas-joly-artistic-director-event |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726135510/https://olympics.com/en/news/opening-ceremony-paris-2024-olympics-glory-thomas-joly-artistic-director-event |archive-date=26 July 2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=International Olympic Committee}} with Victor Le Masne was chosen as the musical director.{{Cite magazine |last=Knopper |first=Steve |date=24 July 2024 |title=Olympics 2024 Theme Composer Victor le Masne Found the Melody in Three Seconds. Then the Real Work Began |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/paris-olympics-2024-theme-composer-victor-le-masne-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725083103/https://www.billboard.com/pro/paris-olympics-2024-theme-composer-victor-le-masne-interview/ |archive-date=25 July 2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |magazine=Billboard |issn=0006-2510}} Certain elements and sequences were not able to be implemented such as having performers lean out of the Hôtel-Dieu, Paris decommissioned hospital building due to asbestos. Other plans that did not go through included a performance that would take place near a fish hatchery by the Béthune Quay on the bank of the Seine, which was not to be disturbed, a mass of dancers on a bridge that would have caused its collapse, and an undisclosed scene that had been reworked 73 times by May 2024. In total, 3,000 performers took part, with at least 400 of these being professional dancers.

Since the water level would rise or fall depending on the weather, the organizers developed "an artificial intelligence software to cast the route in 3-D so [Jolly] could visualize high and low water levels, rain, even storms".

In October 2023, following security concerns caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Gaza war and the Arras school stabbing, both the French government and the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP2024) stated there were no official plans to relocate, stating that "Plan A takes into account all of the threats". Oudéa-Castréa stated on BFM TV that they were paying attention to context and the government had been working on "adjustment variables", wishing to maintain the original format. In December 2023, President Macron stated that there were multiple scenarios for the ceremony, in case of a major security event which would force it to move from the Seine. On this, COJOP2024 stated they had "contingency plans for all identified risk scenarios: heatwaves, cyberattacks, and the ceremony is no exception". In April 2024 President Macron announced that in case of a terrorism threat, there was a plan B, and even plan C; in that case the Opening Ceremony would be moved to the Trocadero or to the Stade de France stadium.{{Cite web |last=Mawad |first=Dalal |date=16 April 2024 |title=Emmanuel Macron says Olympic Opening Ceremony could be changed in case of terrorism threat |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/16/sport/macron-olympic-opening-ceremony-terrorism-threat-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}} Nevertheless, Christophe Dubi, the IOC Games executive director, stated the previous in March that a change to the Stade de France would be unlikely due to the event being "too big, too sophisticated, too complex artistically to look at a Plan B in another location".

In April 2024, it was announced all buildings with a view of the Seine would have extra anti-terrorism protection.{{Cite web |last=Daffunchio Picazo |first=Raúl |date=28 April 2024 |title=Buildings along the Seine will have extra anti-terrorism protection in Paris |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1144912/buildings-seine-protection-paris-2024 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Inside the Games}} Several areas near the Seine river, metro stations and adjacent museums including the Louvre, Orsay and the Decorative Arts Museums would be closed. Being the largest ever security operation in France since the end of World War II, after the closure of bridges from 8 July 2024, 18 days ahead of the Opening Ceremony, a security perimeter was placed around the ceremony sites from 18 July, 8 days ahead of the Ceremony.{{Cite web |title=Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: security perimeters activated on July 18 |url=https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/olympic-games-opening-ceremony-security-and-traffic-information-27056 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=www.paris.fr |language=en}} The perimeter included, among others, prohibition of motorized access, controlled access for pedestrians with people within the perimeter subjected to a personal "Games pass". All airports and airspace in a {{Convert|90|mi|km}} radius would be closed during the ceremony, and 45,000 security officers, including over 2,000 foreign police, would be stationed in Paris during the ceremony.

In the hours before the ceremonies, spectators faced long queues as well as ticketing obstacles. Many of the gates opened over an hour later than previously scheduled due to a lack of scanners to process all tickets.{{Cite news |last=McGowan |first=Elliot |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: Ticketing issues, long queues reported |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147080/early-issues-ahead-of-opening-ceremony |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=Inside the Games}} That morning, a series of arson attacks damaged the lines of the French railway system.{{Cite news |last1=Bisset |first1=Victoria |last2=Noack |first2=Rick |date=26 July 2024 |title=Arson disrupts France's high-speed trains hours before Olympics, officials say |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/26/france-rail-disruptions-scnf-olympics/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} International and domestic rail services were widely disrupted,{{Cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Jacob |last2=Mata |first2=William |date=2024-07-26 |title=Eurostars cancelled as arson attack sparks travel chaos ahead of Olympics - live |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/france-trains-live-eurostar-olympic-games-arson-paris-opening-ceremony-b1173040.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=The Standard |language=en}} with around 800,000 passengers affected.{{cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title=French rail network hit by arson attacks before Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/26/vandals-target-french-rail-network-olympics-opening-ceremony |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=The Guardian}} There was also an attempted attack on LGV Sud-Est line, though it was interrupted by TGV maintenance workers who happened to be on site.{{cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title='Criminal' attack on France's high-speed train network |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240726-france-s-high-speed-train-network-paralysed-by-malicious-acts |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=France24}}

On the day of the ceremony, sequences were altered for safety reasons owing to the heavy rainfall forecast during the ceremony – with around a third of the Synchronicité sequence cut, and the removal of dancers from Parisian rooftops.{{cite AV media |url=https://olympics.com/en/original-series/episode/la-grande-seine-paris-2024-opening-ceremony-making-of-the-full-story |title=La Grande Seine, Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony making-of |date=21 July 2024 |last=Herrero |first=Manuel |type=Motion picture |language=French |publisher=International Olympic Committee |trans-title= |location= |time=1 hour 23 minutes |access-date=23 December 2024 |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=}}

The Parade of Nations, during which the expected number of 10,500 participating athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees participate categorized by their respective delegation, took place on the Seine, with other ceremonial events being held at the Jardins du Trocadéro.{{Cite web |date=24 May 2023 |title=France unveils security plan for Olympics opening ceremony in central Paris |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230524-france-unveils-security-plan-for-olympics-opening-ceremony-in-central-paris |access-date=25 June 2023 |website=France 24 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Newcomb |first=Tim |date=20 June 2023 |title=Paris 2024 Floats New Approach For Opening Ceremony Stadium |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timnewcomb/2023/06/20/paris-2024-floats-new-approach-for-opening-ceremony-stadium/ |access-date=25 June 2023 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

The Parade had as its main inspiration Jean-Paul Goude's 200th anniversary parade of the French Revolution on Bastille Day in 1989 which was described in comparison as "an anti-national festival that rolled all of us into a "worldwide melting pot, with an optimism that we've lost today".{{Cite news |last=Farago |first=Jason |date=2024-07-25 |title=Why the Olympics' Parade of Nations Is the World's Costume Party |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/arts/television/olympics-parade-nations-opening-ceremony.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725231203/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/arts/television/olympics-parade-nations-opening-ceremony.html |archive-date=2024-07-25 |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The New York Times |issn=1553-8095}} Taking inspiration from the homonym of the French for "stage" (scène) and the river Seine, the artistic portion of the event depicted 12 scenes from French history.{{Cite news |last=Porter |first=Catherine |date=2024-07-24 |title=When the Paris Olympics Begin, the Seine Is His Stage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/world/olympics/thomas-jolly-olympics-opening-ceremony.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725232006/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/world/olympics/thomas-jolly-olympics-opening-ceremony.html |archive-date=2024-07-25 |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The New York Times |issn=1553-8095}} It was expected to be the grandest event on the Seine in 285 years since the celebrations organized by Louis XV for his daughter's wedding with Philip, Duke of Parma in 1739. President Macron stated that the ceremony would include a "great story of emancipation and freedom", marking events from the French Revolution to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the latter having been signed at the exact same place the ceremony ended, the Palais de Chaillot. The Assassin Arno Dorian appeared in the streets of Paris who held the olympic torch through parkour.

Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, had estimated that 25,000 security agents would be required and that around 35,000 police officers would be deployed for the opening ceremony.

The 80-day Olympic torch relay for the Olympic flame was ended during the ceremonies. The flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on 16 April 2024,{{Cite web |last=Paphitis |first=Nicholas |date=16 April 2024 |title=Despite weather glitch, the Paris Olympics flame is lit at the Greek cradle of ancient games |url=https://apnews.com/article/olympics-flame-lighting-greece-6ba355b34a5c6c8e4d037fa00f3b1321 |access-date=16 April 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} traveling through Greece for the following 10 days before being handed to COJOP2024 on 26 April at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. It left Piraeus aboard the sailing ship Belem and arrived at Marseille Old Port on 8 May 2024 under the escort of 1,000 boats.{{Cite web |date=26 November 2023 |title=News Access Rules Applicable to the Olympic Torch Relay of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad Paris 2024 |url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris-2024-News-Access-Rules-Olympic-Torch-Relay-EN.pdf?displayAsWebViewdark=true%2F26-nov-2022%2F26-nov-2022%2F26-nov-2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222004958/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Paris-2024/Paris-2024-News-Access-Rules-Olympic-Torch-Relay-EN.pdf?displayAsWebViewdark=true%2F26-nov-2022%2F26-nov-2022%2F26-nov-2022 |archive-date=22 December 2023 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=International Olympic Committee |type=PDF}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/olympic-flame-france-2024-paris-olympics-19th-century-ship-marseille/|title=Olympic flame reaches France for 2024 Paris Olympics aboard a 19th century sailing ship|publisher=CBS News.com|language=EN|date=8 May 2024|access-date=8 May 2024}}

{{Main|2024 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations}}

Entry to the venues opened at 17:30 CEST with the ceremony starting two hours later at 19:30 CEST. For the first time in Olympic history, the athletes were paraded on boats such as tourist boats, ferries and yachts, and also for the first time, the parade was integrated into the artistic programme, as the Seine was the main venue for the event. Most of the ceremony took place under the rain, rather than in the sun. This was the first Summer Olympics opening ceremony to be held in such a manner since the 2016 Summer Olympics which started with a small drizzle.{{Cite news |last=Leicester |first=John |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris Olympics kicks off with ambitious but rainy opening ceremony on the Seine River |url=https://www.cbs19news.com/news/paris-olympics-kicks-off-with-ambitious-but-rainy-opening-ceremony-on-the-seine-river/article_1da5548b-8ee6-577f-9b49-5fd2ea5cc940.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727195239/https://www.cbs19news.com/news/paris-olympics-kicks-off-with-ambitious-but-rainy-opening-ceremony-on-the-seine-river/article_1da5548b-8ee6-577f-9b49-5fd2ea5cc940.html |archive-date=2024-07-27 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=WCAV |agency=Associated Press}}{{OSM Location map | width=550 | height=250 | coord={{coord|48.854|2.328}} | zoom=13 | shape1=n-circle

| caption=Locations of each segment along the Seine: | auto-caption=7

| mark-title1 = Prologue

| mark-description1 = Pont d'Austerlitz

| mark-coord1 = {{Coord|48.8449|2.3660}}

| mark-title2 = Enchanté

| mark-description2 = Square Barye

| mark-coord2 = {{Coord|48.8495|2.3603}}

| mark-title3 = Synchronicité

| mark-description3 = Hôtel de Ville, Hôtel-Dieu, and Pont Neuf

| mark-coord3 = {{Coord|48.8553|2.3492}}

| mark-title4 = Liberté

| mark-description4 = Palais de Justice

| mark-coord4 = {{Coord|48.8566|2.345}}

| mark-title5 = Égalité

| mark-description5 = Institut de France and Pont des Arts

| mark-coord5 = {{Coord|48.8585|2.3376}}

| mark-title6 = Fraternité

| mark-description6 = Musée d'Orsay and Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor

| mark-coord6 = {{Coord|48.8619|2.3248}}

| mark-title7 = Sororité

| mark-description7 = Grand Palais and Pont Alexandre III

| mark-coord7 = {{Coord|48.8638|2.3138}}

| mark-title8 = Sportivité

| mark-description8 = Port du Gros Caillou

| mark-coord8 = {{Coord|48.863|2.3063}}

| mark-title9 = Festivité

| mark-description9 = Passerelle Debilly

| mark-coord9 = {{Coord|48.8627|2.2968}}

| mark-title10 = Obscurité

| mark-description10 = Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor

| mark-coord10 = {{Coord|48.8612|2.327}}

| mark-title11 = Solidarité

| mark-description11 = Pont d'Iéna

| mark-coord11 = {{Coord|48.8599|2.292}}

| mark-title12 = Solennité

| mark-description12 = Trocadéro

| mark-coord12 = {{Coord|48.8612|2.2899}}

| mark-title13 = Éternité

| mark-description13 = The Louvre and Tuileries Garden

| mark-coord13 = {{Coord|48.8629|2.3293}}

| mark-title14 = Epilogue

| mark-description14 = Eiffel Tower

| mark-coord14 = {{Coord|48.8583|2.2944}}

}}

File:France smoke flag 2024 Summer Olympics opening.jpg marking the start of the Parade of Nations]]

After everyone was seated and the Olympic torch relay ended its metropolitan leg around the area surrounding the Stade de France, the artistic portion began with a pre-recorded video (with footage of past opening ceremonies of the Games) of comedian Jamel Debbouze as a torchbearer carrying the flame into an empty Stade de France, having not realized that the opening ceremony would be held outside the stadium. Interspersed are clips of newscasters around the world reporting that the ceremony would not be in a stadium, but instead along the Seine. Debbouze wonders where the attendees are. He is approached by footballer Zinedine Zidane, who takes the torch through the city streets, leaping through a traffic jam, disrupting people at a cafe and attracting the attention of a trio of children representing the three times Paris has hosted the Games. Zidane then heads into the Paris Métro,{{efn|In the video, Zidane enters the {{lang|fr|Métropolitain|i=no}} through entrance 3 of the Porte Dauphine station, the only original Métro entrance designed by Hector Guimard in 1900 with preserved wall panels, and the only one with a canopy that remains in its original location.}} which is decorated with posters from previous Games on its billboards, and boards a train about to depart. Before the train can leave the station, it breaks down, prompting Zidane to pass the torch to the children through the train window. After traversing the Catacombs of Paris and the legendary underground lake beneath the {{lang|fr|Palais Garnier|i=no}}, the children are approached by a mysterious hooded and masked torchbearer rowing a boat. The trio climb aboard, putting on life jackets that are colored after the French flag and as they begin their journey to the outside world, the camera pans up to the Trocadéro stage to present in live format the authorities present at the ceremonies: Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, and Emmanuel Macron, president of the French Republic, as they stand up to welcome the crowd. After that, the boat is rowed through a tunnel, into a light that shines to reveal the phrase "{{lang|fr|Ça ira}}" (literally, "will happen"; figuratively, "it'll be fine") as the boat arrived on the Seine. The parade then began on the Pont d'Austerlitz bridge (decorated in Olympic theming), as pyrotechnics in the tricolour of the flag of France, and jets of water from the Seine opened the Parade of Nations.

The masked torchbearer{{efn|Nicknamed "Zorro" by France Télévisions.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Zidane, Dujardin of Pérec: wie is 'Zorro', de laatste olympische fakkeldrager? |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2530317-zidane-dujardin-of-perec-wie-is-zorro-de-laatste-olympische-fakkeldrager |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=nos.nl |language=nl}}}} was the main protagonist of the opening ceremony, serving as a connecting thread throughout the ceremony similar to how Nikki Webster was the main star of the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics as the hero girl. The torchbearer character made appearances between segments in pre-recorded scenes, and live on the Seine, the rooftops of Paris, the city's landmarks and shows up in the middle of the performances. The torchbearer represented several mysterious masked French heroes, such as Arsène Lupin, the Phantom of the Opera, Fantômas and Phantom R, as well as modern depictions of the Olympic spirit and a diversity of characteristics of French culture.

The figure was also compared to the French video game company Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise characters' hoods and parkour action, especially to Arno Dorian, who appears in the 2014 installment Assassin's Creed Unity set during the French Revolution.{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Assassins Creed? Who was the masked torchbearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony? |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/assassins-creed-who-was-the-masked-torchbearer-at-the-2024-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/3502147/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727205408/https://www.nbcchicago.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/assassins-creed-who-was-the-masked-torchbearer-at-the-2024-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/3502147/ |archive-date=2024-07-27 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=WMAQ-TV}}

It was anticipated that the masked torchbearer would reveal themself at the end of the ceremony and light the cauldron, but their identity was not revealed.{{Cite web |last=Bray |first=Jonny |date=26 July 2024 |title=PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES: WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS MASKED CHARACTER CARRYING THE OLYMPIC TORCH? IS IT ZINEDINE ZIDANE? |url=https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.eurosport.com}} Shortly after the ceremony ended, professional tag player Clément Dumais wrote on Twitter that a total of 12 people had portrayed the character during the four-hour ceremony, including parkour artist Simon Nogueira, while ruling out his own participation.{{Cite web |last=Dumais |first=Clément |date=27 July 2024 |title=Détendez-vous j'ai pas dit que c'était moi ahaha je ferai un live dans 1 an pour vous dire la vérité à la manière de Carlito pour la vidéo secrète avec Amine à l'Échapée2 😂 |url=https://x.com/ClementHTR/status/1816958935125098749 |website=x.com}}

File:U S Olympic Team participates in 2024 Opening Ceremonies in Paris (8554764).jpg

The first sequence, {{lang|fr|Enchanté}} (enchant/delight), accordionist Félicien Brut was sitting at the top of Pont d'Austerlitz played a rendition of Édith Piaf's "La Foule" began the first of the four blocs of the parade with the Greek delegation and the Refugee Olympic Team, and through to the Bahraini delegation. The first musical act featured Lady Gaga and eight dancers waving large pink ostrich feather hand fans, all in custom Dior costumes. The segment (pre-recorded for "safety reasons"){{Cite web |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |date=July 28, 2024 |title=Olympics Choreographer on Working With Lady Gaga to Prepare Opening Ceremony Performance, And Why It Nearly Got Called Off Due to Rain |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/global/lady-gaga-zizi-jeanmaire-performance-rain-olympics-choreographer-1236087753/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240728174512/https://variety.com/2024/music/global/lady-gaga-zizi-jeanmaire-performance-rain-olympics-choreographer-1236087753/ |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |website=Variety Magazine}} alluded to "a cabaret feel" with a performance of "{{lang|fr|Mon truc en plumes}}", made famous by vedette Zizi Jeanmaire, on a golden staircase beside a black grand piano below {{ill|Square Barye|fr}} at the southeast point of {{lang|fr|Île Saint-Louis|i=no}}.{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance |url=https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-lady-gaga-opening-ceremony-900240493391dbac1fc0d3a3a6143b80 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726212901/https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-lady-gaga-opening-ceremony-900240493391dbac1fc0d3a3a6143b80 |archive-date=2024-07-26 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=Associated Press |agency=Associated Press}} The singer wore a black satin bustier under a black feather jacket and welcomed the audience by saying "{{lang|fr|Bonsoir, bienvenue à Paris}}" ("Good evening, welcome to Paris").{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=LVMH's luxury wares earn top billing at Olympics opening |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/lvmhs-luxury-wares-earn-top-billing-olympics-opening-2024-07-26/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727185650/https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/lvmhs-luxury-wares-earn-top-billing-olympics-opening-2024-07-26/ |archive-date=2024-07-27 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=Reuters |agency=Reuters}}

Recalling Piaf's song "La Vie en rose", the parade resumed with the Bangladeshi through Chinese delegations passing by the {{lang|fr|Quai de Bethune|i=no}} decorated with large old postcards of Parisian monuments from the Belle Époque era printed in pink and populated with a crowd of characters dressed in pink waving at them, including big head versions of famous French historical figures and characters and the Olympic Phryge in its only appearance at the ceremony. This scene was a reference to the La Rue Montorgueil painting by Claude Monet. The three children and the masked torchbearer showed up in the pink crowd and the children handed the Olympic torch to the torchbearer, who ran off with it and headed onto the rooftops with the torch in their hand. Dancers from the Moulin Rouge, also dressed in pink, then danced at the {{lang|fr|Quai d'Orleans|i=no}}, to the music of the French can-can "Galop infernal" from Jacques Offenbach's opera Orpheus in the Underworld. The sequence ended with the masked torchbearer crossing the river on a zip line.

File:U S Olympic Team participates in 2024 Opening Ceremonies in Paris (8554767).jpg|i=no}}, near the {{lang|fr|Pont Saint-Louis|i=no}}, observe from their homes the Parade of Nations passing into the {{lang|fr|Synchronicité}} segment.]]

The second sequence, {{lang|fr|Synchronicité}} (synchronicity), started with a dance tribute by 420 people to the reconstruction teams of Notre-Dame repairing the cathedral following its 2019 fire and to artisans in general, held on Île de la Cité. This sequence featured French-Senegalese dancer Guillaume Diop on the rooftop of the Hôtel de Ville and Olympic champions Martin Fourcade of France and Michael Phelps of the United States. Aside from the Notre-Dame's reconstruction, the sequence also highlighted the making of the Olympic medals in their three metals at the Monnaie de Paris and the Louis Vuitton cases that carry them.

The third sequence, {{lang|fr|Liberté}} (liberty), was themed after the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror and their aftermath. In a pre-recorded scene at the {{lang|fr|Théâtre du Châtelet|i=no}}, the torchbearer witnesses a performance of "A la volonté du peuple" (the original French version of "Do You Hear the People Sing?") by a group of actors playing in the musical {{lang|fr|Les Misérables}} with homage to Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, which then cuts to live footage of the façade of the Conciergerie. In one of its windows, a beheaded Marie Antoinette (who was imprisoned at the site before eventually being guillotined) sang the opening notes of {{lang|fr|Ah! ca ira!}}, joined by heavy metal band Gojira playing enthusiastically, perched on small platforms that stuck out from other windows. Soprano Marina Viotti joined Gojira in the latter half of the song, before performing a rendition of the Habanera from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, all done while "sailing" along the {{lang|fr|Quai de l'Horloge|i=no}} on a float in the shape of the boat present on the coat of arms of Paris.

Actors {{ill|Yuming Hey|fr}}, Léa Luce Busato, and Elan Ben Ali performed a pre-recorded seduction scene at the {{lang|fr|salle ovale}} of the {{lang|fr|Richelieu|i=no}} site of the {{lang|fr|Bibliothèque nationale de France|i=no}} to French literature titles including: Romances Sans Parole (Romances Without Words) by Paul-Marie Verlaine, 1874; Bel-Ami (Nice Friend) by Guy de Maupassant, 1885; On Ne Badine Pas Avec L'amour (No Trifling with Love) by Alfred de Musset, 1834; Passion Simple (Simple Passion) by Annie Ernaux, 1992; Sexe Et Mensonges (Sex and Lies) by Leila Slimani, 2021; Le Diable Au Corps (The Devil in the Body) by Raymond Radiguet, 1923; Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Relationships) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, 1782; Les Amants Magnifiques (The Magnificent Lovers) by Molière, 1670; and Le Triomphe De L'amour (The Triumph of Love) by Pierre de Marivaux, 1732. The scene also addressed diverse forms of love (including LGBT themes and polyamory) expressed by acrobats from the XY company, circus artists from the Gratte-Ciel company, and tightrope walker {{ill|Nathan Paulin|fr}}, performing live at the {{lang|fr|Pont Neuf|i=no}}. The sequence ended with a red heart drawn in the sky with trails of colored smoke by planes of the Patrouille de France.

The Republican Guard marching band played the introduction of {{lang|fr|{{ill|For me formidable|fr|quote=y}}|i=no}} by Charles Aznavour on the {{lang|fr|Pont des Arts|i=no}} footbridge, opening the fourth sequence, Égalité (equality). During the band's performance, the masked torchbearer turned up and used the Olympic flame to light up the stage for French singer Aya Nakamura, who performed a mashup of three songs: "Pookie", "Djadja" and some stanzas from "{{lang|fr|For me formidable|i=no}}", in front of the Institut de France in a special brass version with the Choir of the French Army and musicians of the Republican Guard.

File:Paris 2024 gradins ouverture, musée d'Orsay (cropped).jpg]]

The fifth sequence, {{lang|fr|Fraternité}} (fraternity/brotherhood), began with Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse macabre" and the masked torchbearer at the Louvre seeing characters from the paintings and the statues emerging and coming to life, reminiscent of the Night at the Museum films, and finding Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa absent, stolen from its protective chamber (a reference to its theft in 1911). The parade resumed through the section of the river decorated with giant board heads of the characters from the paintings facing behind the parade with the Cypriot through Gabonese delegations, as pianist Alexandre Kantorow performed Maurice Ravel's "{{lang|fr|Jeux d'eau}}" above Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor under heavy rain. The parade boats continued with the Gambian through Jamaican delegations.

The ceremony moved to the Musée d'Orsay and paid homage to French filmmakers the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès, alongside French children's literature, such as The Little Prince, as well as French contributions to aviation, while the Paul Dukas tone poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice, (most famously featured in Walt Disney's Fantasia), played. After that, the International Space Station (in whose program the European Space Agency is a participant) appears, revealing a yellow periscope which pans down to an animated underwater sequence by Illumination Studios Paris featuring the Minions from Illumination's Despicable Me franchise, holding various sports events from the Olympics in a submarine reminiscent of Jules Verne's Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, as well as revealing themselves to be the ones responsible for stealing the Mona Lisa earlier, which emerged from the Seine after their usual mayhem causes the sub to explode. Mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel, representing the national personification of the French Marianne, then sang the French national anthem in a French flag-themed Dior dress atop the Grand Palais.

The sixth sequence, {{lang|fr|Sororité}} (sorority/sisterhood), highlighted nine notable French women with golden statues along the Seine: Olympe de Gouges, Alice Milliat, Gisèle Halimi, Paulette Nardal, Jeanne Barret, Christine de Pizan, Louise Michel, Alice Guy, and Simone Veil. A tenth statue, of Simone de Beauvoir, was supposed to be included, but did not rise during the ceremony due to technical problems. After that, Saint-Cirel sang the sixth verse of the French national anthem, accompanied by a choir.

The seventh sequence, {{lang|fr|Sportivité}} (sportsmanship), resumed the parade boats with the Japanese through Norwegian delegations. Athletes demonstrated urban sports, namely skateboarding and BMX freestyle, as well as breakdancing on floating ramps near {{ill|Port du Gros-Caillou|fr}}. Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński dressed as a Pierrot who sang Viens Hymen from Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera Les Indes galantes, becoming the first artist from Poland to perform at an Olympic Games opening ceremony.{{Cite web |title=Jakub Józef Orliński and Cristian Măcelaru perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Paris {{!}} Askonas Holt |url=https://askonasholt.com/news/jakub-jozef-orlinski-and-cristian-macelaru-perform-at-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-in-paris |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=askonasholt.com}} Orliński then performed some breakdancing in a nod to the sport's inclusion at the Games. Rapper Rim'K followed, singing his song "King" near Pont de l'Alma on board what would be the dance barge on the following sequence.

File:Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower 2024 (23).jpg on the Eiffel Tower]]

The eighth sequence, {{lang|fr|Festivité}} (festivity/celebration), started with a tribute to French fashion at the red carpet on the Passerelle Debilly. The parade continued on to its end with the Kiwi through Zimbabwean delegations, then the Australian and the American delegations as their cities Brisbane and Los Angeles, are the next Summer Olympic Games hosts in 2032 and 2028 respectively. The masked torchbearer walked past the models and performed acrobatics on the Passerelle, after which a live video feed showed the participants of the Olympic surfing tournaments on Tahiti. The parade of boats culminated with the French delegation arriving on a large boat.

A tribute to the European Union was introduced by "The Final Countdown" by Swedish band Europe and a projection show of the 12 stars of the EU flag revolving around the Eiffel Tower, and featured drag queens including Nicky Doll and dancers including Germain Louvet, Electro Street, and the Mazelfreten collective, continuing on the waterlogged red carpet of the Debilly footbridge, as well as a barge with an LED dancefloor, to Eurodance tracks (see below), and Philippe Katerine seen nearly nude and painted as a blue Dionysus (the Greek god of wine, in tribute to France's wine industry and the ancient Greek Olympics),{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/07/26/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-papa-smurf-flaming-pianos/ | title='Papa Smurf' and flaming pianos – strangest moments of Paris Olympics opening ceremony | newspaper=The Telegraph | last1=Rumsby | first1=Ben }}{{Cite news |last=Giuffrida |first=Angela |date=2024-07-28 |title=Paris Olympics organisers apologise to Christians for unintentional Last Supper parody |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/28/paris-olympics-organisers-apologise-to-christians-for-last-supper-parody |access-date=2024-07-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} performed "{{ill|Nu (Philippe Katerine song)|lt=Nu|fr|Nu (chanson)}}", lying at the center of a long table, with the drag queens posed in a sort of Bacchanalian feast. Some commentators in the news media noted the pose as a possible allusion to the Jan van Bijlert painting Le Festin des Dieux, and to the relationship between Dionysus and his daughter Sequana, the goddess of the Seine,{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Jeremy |date=2024-07-28 |title=Olympics opening ceremonsey 'Last Supper' controversy a misunderstanding, Birmingham business owner says |url=https://www.al.com/news/2024/07/olympics-opening-ceremony-last-supper-controversy-a-misunderstanding-birmingham-business-owner-says.html |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=AL.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-28 |title='J'ai voulu faire une cérémonie qui répare, qui réconcilie' : Thomas Jolly dévoile les coulisses de l'événement et réagit aux polémiques |trans-title='I wanted to do a ceremony that repairs, that reconciles': Thomas Jolly reveals the behind the scenes of the event and reacts to the controversies |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/culture-et-jeux-olympiques/j-ai-voulu-faire-une-ceremonie-qui-repare-qui-reconcilie-thomas-jolly-devoile-les-coulisses-de-l-evenement-et-reagit-aux-polemiques_6691809.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728153224/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/culture-et-jeux-olympiques/j-ai-voulu-faire-une-ceremonie-qui-repare-qui-reconcilie-thomas-jolly-devoile-les-coulisses-de-l-evenement-et-reagit-aux-polemiques_6691809.html |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=France Info |language=fr}} while others interpreted it as depicting a reimagining of The Last Supper by da Vinci.{{cite news |language=fr |title=JO 2024 : Zinédine Zidane, Lady Gaga, Céline Dion, un spectacle total sur la Seine et le déluge... Paris s'offre une cérémonie d'ouverture inoubliable |work=Le Monde |date=2024-07-27 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-2024-zinedine-zidane-lady-gaga-celine-dion-un-spectacle-total-sur-la-seine-et-le-deluge-paris-s-offre-une-ceremonie-d-ouverture-inoubliable_6259102_3242.html |access-date=2024-07-29}}.{{Cite news |title=La cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris enthousiasme la gauche mais indigne une partie de la droite et de l'extrême droite |work=Le Monde |date=2024-07-27 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2024/07/27/la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-enthousiasme-la-gauche-mais-indigne-une-partie-de-la-droite-et-de-l-extreme-droite_6259390_823448.html |access-date=2024-07-29 |language=fr}}.{{Cite web |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture de Paris 2024 : "Une image comme ça, on n'aurait jamais pu la créer, même au cinéma" |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/l-invite-de-8h20/l-invite-du-week-end-du-samedi-27-juillet-2024-3772628 |website=France Inter |date=2024-07-27 |access-date=2024-07-29 |language=fr}}.{{Cite web |last=Loridan |first=Carla |date=2024-07-28 |title=JO 2024: la drag-queen Piche répond aux critiques après sa performance à la cérémonie d'ouverture |trans-title=Olympic Games 2024: Drag Queen Piche Responds to Criticism After her Performance at the Opening Ceremony |url=https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/jo-2024-la-drag-queen-piche-repond-aux-critiques-apres-sa-performance-a-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture_AV-202407280145.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729011659/https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/jo-2024-la-drag-queen-piche-repond-aux-critiques-apres-sa-performance-a-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture_AV-202407280145.html |archive-date=2024-07-29 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=RMC Sport Jeux Olympiques |language=fr}} Katerine's display was also compared to Papa Smurf from the Belgian comic series The Smurfs (one of the popular French-language comics).

The soundtrack of the first eight sequences included rearranged classics of French chanson and pop culture mixed by DJ Barbara Butch:{{Cite tweet |number=1816920935531688059 |user=Olympics |title=The world is a stage, and Paris is a catwalk. The #OpeningCeremony is France's largest nightclub. Celebrities are showcasing young French designer talent, while DJ Barbara Butch provides the tunes. The perfect moment for the last delegations to arrive. #Paris2024 |date=July 27, 2024 |access-date=July 27, 2024}}

{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|

• Serge Gainsbourg – "Initials B.B."
• Richard Sanderson – "Reality"
• Chagrin d'amour – "{{ill|Chacun fait (c'qui lui plaît)|fr}}"
• Dalida – "Monday Tuesday... Laissez moi danser"
• Patrick Hernandez – "Born to Be Alive"
• Claude François – "{{ill|Magnolias for Ever|fr}}"
• Cerrone – "Give Me Love"
• Les Rita Mitsouko – "Marcia Baila"
• Jacques Offenbach – Orpheus in the Underworld performing the can-can by Moulin Rouge dancers
• Cassius – "I Love U So"
• Erik Satie – "Gymnopédie no 1"
• France Gall and Michel Berger – "{{Ill|Ça balance pas mal à Paris|fr}}"
• Les Rita Mitsouko – "Andy"
• Diam's – "{{Ill|DJ (Diam's song)|lt=DJ|fr|DJ (chanson)}}"
• Bibi Flash – "Histoire d'1 soir"
• Sheila – "{{Ill|Spacer (Shelia song)|lt=Spacer|fr|Spacer}}"
• Modjo – "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)"
• Alan Braxe and Fred Falke – "{{Ill|Intro (Alan Braxe song)|lt=Intro|fr|Intro (chanson)}}"
• David Guetta – "Love Don't Let Me Go"
• Daniel Balavoine – "L'Aziza"
• Véronique Sanson – "{{ill|Chanson sur ma drôle de vie|fr}}"
• Ottawan – "D.I.S.C.O."
• France Gall – "{{Ill|Besoin d'amour|lt=Besoin d'amour|fr|Besoin d'amour (chanson)}}"
• Stardust – "Music Sounds Better with You"
• {{Ill|Jupiter (French band)|lt=Jupiter|fr|Jupiter (groupe de musique)}} and Kassav' – "Kass Limon"
• Claude François – "Alexandrie Alexandra"
• Justice – "D.A.N.C.E."
• DJ Mehdi - "Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Edit)"
• Johnny Hallyday – "Que je t'aime"
• Michel Polnareff – "Lettre à France"
• M83 – "Midnight City"
• Europe – "The Final Countdown"
• Gala – "Freed from Desire"
• Da Hool – "Meet Her at the Love Parade"
• Black Box and Loleatta Holloway – "Ride on Time (79 Disco Anthem)"
• La Bouche – "Be My Lover"
• Gigi D'Agostino – "Bla Bla Bla"
• Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina – "Stereo Love"
• Darude – "Sandstorm"
• Ice MC – "It's a Rainy Day"
• Mylène Farmer – "Désenchantée"
• Philippe Katerine – "{{ill|Louxor, j'adore|fr}}"

}}

The ninth sequence, {{lang|fr|Obscurité}} (obscurity/darkness), continued on from {{lang|fr|Festivité}}, with the music turning darker in mood and the dancers aboard the barge becoming more frenetic. As its LED floor flashed a montage of various climate disasters, including droughts, floods, and forest fires, the dancers slowly collapsed, one by one. As the Seine darkened, Juliette Armanet appeared on a raft singing "Imagine" as part of a call for peace, accompanied by Sofiane Pamart on a burning piano.

The tenth sequence, {{lang|fr|Solidarité}} (solidarity), showcased a hooded knight-resembling horsewoman portrayed by Morgane Suquart representing both the patron saint of France, Joan of Arc, and the goddess of the river Seine, Sequana (and thus Christianity and the Gallo-Roman religion), as well as serving as the secondary main character of the opening ceremony.{{cite AV media |url=https://olympics.com/en/original-series/episode/la-grande-seine-paris-2024-opening-ceremony-making-of-the-full-story |title=La Grande Seine, Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony making-of |date=21 July 2024 |last=Herrero |first=Manuel |type=Motion picture |language=French |publisher=International Olympic Committee |trans-title= |location= |time=38 minutes |access-date=23 December 2024 |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=}} The horsewoman wore the Olympic flag as a cape along with silver and black armour, and rode a metallic mechanical horse galloping at 25 km/h midstream on the Seine.{{Cite web |first= |date=31 July 2024 |title=JO PARIS 2024 : DÉCOUVREZ LA CAVALIÈRE MYSTÉRIEUSE DE LA CÉRÉMONIE D'OUVERTURE |url=https://anousparis.fr/people-paris/jo-paris-2024-cavaliere-mysterieuse-ceremonie-ouverture-44269 |access-date= |website=anousparis.fr}}{{Cite web |last=Guerin |first=Andreas |date=July 2024 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO 2024 : qui était la cavalière mystère ? |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/jo-paris-2024/ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-2024-qui-est-floriane-issert-la-cavaliere-masquee-qui-a-parcouru-la-seine-27-07-2024-3CGAX7KM2ZE7JINPWICNCD4RYM.php |access-date=19 September 2024 |website=leparisien.fr |language=fr-FR}} As she galloped, she spread dove wings above the Seine, an ancient symbol of peace between nations during the Olympic truce. Once the mechanical horse completed its course on the Seine, the horsewoman, now portrayed by Floriane Issert,{{Cite news |last=Brodeur |first=Michael Andor |date=2024-07-26 |title=A grand vision guides unprecedented Opening Ceremonies down the Seine |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2024/07/26/paris-olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-review/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728100508/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2024/07/26/paris-olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-review/ |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2024-07-29 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}{{cite web |last=Braidwood |first=Jamie |date=2024-07-26 |title=Who were the masked torchbearer and horse rider at the Olympics opening ceremony? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-masked-torchbearer-opening-ceremony-who-is-b2586677.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729215348/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-masked-torchbearer-opening-ceremony-who-is-b2586677.html |archive-date=2024-07-29 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=The Independent |issn=1741-9743}} showed up riding a live, white horse on land, crossing the pont d'Iena. This segment referenced Pierre de Coubertin and the history of the Olympics, with numerous archival images and footage showing iconic highlights of the past Games. Volunteers carrying the flags of the participating countries gathered on the Pont d'Iéna. The horsewoman climbed off the white horse and carried another, folded Olympic flag on foot to a mast at the Trocadéro, surrounded by athletes. The Olympic Hymn was performed by the {{Interlanguage link|Radio France Choir|fr|Chœur de Radio France}} featuring the {{lang|fr|Maîtrise de Radio France|italic=no}} and the {{lang|fr|Orchestre National de France|italic=no}} in Greek as members of the French Armed Forces raised the flag, which was accidentally raised upside down.{{Cite web |last=Braidwood |first=Jamie |date=2024-07-26 |title=Olympic flag raised upside down at end of rain-soaked opening ceremony |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympic-flag-upside-down-paris-2024-b2586729.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728073436/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympic-flag-upside-down-paris-2024-b2586729.html |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=The Independent |issn=1741-9743}}

The 1.80-meter metal horse was designed and built by Atelier Blam, a Nantes design studio founded by Aurélien Meyer. The rider's costume, designed by Jeanne Friot and Robert Mercier, was upcycled leather armor.

During the eleventh sequence, {{lang|fr|Solennité}} (solemnity), the Olympic Laurels were awarded, with Italian diplomat Filippo Grandi receiving them in his capacity as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Tony Estanguet, head of the organizing committee, and IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed participants and spectators in French and English. President Emmanuel Macron then declared the Games open, stating:

{{Blockquote|"{{lang|fr|Je proclame ouverts les Jeux de Paris célébrant la XXXIIIe Olympiade des temps modernes.}}" – "I proclaim open the Games of Paris, celebrating the XXXIII Olympiad of the modern times."|President Emmanuel Macron}}

The Olympic oath was sworn by French flag bearers Mélina Robert-Michon and Florent Manaudou, coach Christophe Massina, and wrestling referee Melanie Tran. The masked torchbearer made their final appearance at the opening ceremony. They gave the Olympic flame back to Zinedine Zidane, who then handed it to Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (beginning the final leg). He carried the flame up the Seine by boat along with other Olympic champions Carl Lewis and Serena Williams of the United States and Nadia Comăneci of Romania, while on the Trocadéro stage, Shaheem Sanchez, a deaf dancer, performed Cerrone's "Supernature" in French Sign Language, backdropped by an elaborate light show on the Eiffel Tower, focusing on the Olympic Rings. The boat docked near the Louvre, where tennis champion Amélie Mauresmo continued the relay with basketball player Tony Parker. They were joined by Paralympic champions Nantenin Keïta, Alexis Hanquinquant, and Marie-Amélie Le Fur, officially opening the twelfth and final sequence, Éternité (eternity).

{{Multiple image

| image1 = Teddy Riner Cannes 2016.jpg

| image2 = Marie-José Pérec Cannes 2016.jpg

| footer = Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec lit the cauldron

| total_width = 230

}}

File:Vasque Olympique Jardin Tuileries - Paris I (FR75) - 2024-07-27 - 18.jpg]]

The flame was relayed through the Tuileries Garden, where the cauldron would be situated, after entering the Carrousel du Louvre.

A number of French Olympic champions carried the torch: Michaël Guigou, Allison Pineau, Jean-François Lamour, Félicia Ballanger, Florian Rousseau, Émilie Le Pennec, David Douillet, Clarisse Agbegnenou, Alain Bernard, Laure Manaudou, Renaud Lavillenie, Laura Flessel and Charles Coste, the oldest living French Olympic champion at 100 years old.

The final leg culminated with Coste lighting the torches of Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec, who then lit the Olympic cauldron, a ring of 40 computerized LEDs and 200 high-pressure water aerosol spray dispensers which was topped by a 30-metre-tall helium sphere resembling a hot air balloon, rising in the air, reminiscent of the Montgolfier brothers' experiments leading to the first hot air balloon flight in 1783. The cauldron is attached to a wire-like conduit anchored in the middle of the Grand Bassin Rond (literally, "Large Round Basin") to avoid flying off; the conduit feeds the cauldron with water and electricity, and is pulled back to the ground during daytime. It is the first Olympic cauldron to light up without the direct use of fossil fuels.{{Cite news |last=Vasavda |first=Mihir |date=2024-07-28 |title=40 LED lights, a cloud of water-vapour for illumination, 200 high-pressure misting nozzles: How flying cauldron of Paris Olympics is lit up |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/paris-2024-olympics-cauldron-opening-ceremony-9479655/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728015312/https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/paris-2024-olympics-cauldron-opening-ceremony-9479655/ |archive-date=28 July 2024 |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=The Indian Express }} The actual flame, meanwhile, was stored in a lantern nearby.

Canadian singer Céline Dion, accompanied by pianist and musical director Scott Price,{{Cite web |last=Lesprit |first=Bruno |date=July 27, 2024 |title=Olympics 2024: Céline Dion sings 'L'Hymne à l'Amour,' a tribute to Edith Piaf and a revenge against fate |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2024/07/27/olympics-2024-celine-dion-sang-l-hymne-a-l-amour-a-tribute-to-edith-piaf-and-a-revenge-against-fate_6700845_9.html |website=Le Monde}} concluded the ceremony by singing Édith Piaf's "{{lang|fr|Hymne à l'amour|i=no}}" from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower,{{cite news |last=Tolentino |first=Daysia |date=2024-07-26 |title=Céline Dion, Lady Gaga perform during the Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-celine-dion-lady-gaga-paris-rcna163793 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729215019/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympic-opening-ceremony-celine-dion-lady-gaga-paris-rcna163793 |archive-date=2024-07-29 |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=NBC News}} bringing the ceremony to a close at 23:29 CEST.

{{Multiple image

| image1 = Céline Dion 2012.jpg

| image2 = Lady Gaga at Joe Biden's inauguration (cropped 5).jpg

| footer = Céline Dion and Lady Gaga (pictured in 2012 and 2021)

| total_width = 230

}}

French singer Slimane performed his song "Mon Amour" at a pre-opening ceremony event in Saint-Denis which was broadcast on France 2.{{cite web |last1=Argyriou |first1=Giannis |date=2024-07-26 |title=Olympics: Watch Slimane perform Mon Amour just before the opening ceremony |url=https://eurovisionfun.com/en/2024/07/olympics-watch-slimane-perform-mon-amour-just-before-the-opening-ceremony/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Eurovision Fun}} As Slimane had cancelled a concert the day prior, some media outlets were unsure whether he would perform.{{Cite web |last=Ratesson |first=Sandra |date=2024-07-24 |title=Le chanteur Slimane annonce une triste nouvelle : '48 heures que j'hésite à prendre cette décision...' |trans-title=Singer Slimane announces sad news: 'I've been hesitating to make this decision for 48 hours...' |url=https://www.purepeople.com/article/le-chanteur-slimane-annonce-une-triste-nouvelle-48-heures-que-j-hesite-a-prendre-cette-decision_a525598/1 |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=Pure People |language=fr}}

American singer Lady Gaga was the first performer of the ceremony, performing a rendition of the song "Mon truc en plumes".{{cite web |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |last2=Strauss |first2=Matthew |date=2024-07-25 |title=Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Gojira, and More Perform at Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony: Watch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/lady-gaga-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-watch/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Pitchfork}} Even though her appearance had not been in the embargoed media guide distributed previous to the event, her participation had been heavily speculated due to her multiple appearances in Paris in the days before the ceremony. Progressive metal act Gojira soon followed, becoming the first metal band to perform at an Olympic opening ceremony. The band, who were joined by opera singer Marina Viotti, performed the French Revolution-era song "Ça Ira" at the Conciergerie, a former prison where Marie Antoinette spent her final days. A performer portraying a beheaded Antoinette began the performance.{{cite web |last1=Rivera |first1=Joe |date=2024-07-26 |title=Who is Gojira? What to know about metal band at Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/07/26/gojira-band-olympic-opening-ceremony/74561517007/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=USA Today}} Aya Nakamura soon followed with a performance of her songs "Pookie" and "Djadja" and "For me formidable" of Charles Aznavour on the Pont des Arts.{{cite web |last1=Keslassy |first1=Elsa |last2=Rtiman |first2=Alex |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: All the Biggest Moments From the Games' Kickoff |url=https://variety.com/2024/sports/global/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-moments-performances-1236086154/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Variety}}{{cite magazine |last1=Betancourt |first1=Bianca |date=2024-07-26 |title=Aya Nakamura Proves Why She's France's Biggest Star at the 2024 Paris Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a61701969/aya-nakamura-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-2024/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |magazine=Harper's Bazaar}}

Later in the night, as part of a fashion runway portion of the ceremony, various drag queens, including Nicky Doll and alumnae of the reality television series Drag Race France, recreated a bacchanalian feast.{{cite web |last1=Sim |first1=Bernardo |date=2024-07-26 |title=Nicky Doll stuns in runway segment at Paris Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.out.com/drag/nicky-doll-drag-race-queens-paris-2024-olympics#rebelltitem2 |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Out Magazine}}{{cite web |last1=Tinoco |first1=Armando |date=2024-07-26 |title=Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Calls Drag Queens Channeling The Last Supper At Olympics Opening Ceremony 'Crazy' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/kansas-city-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-drag-queens-last-supper-olympics-opening-ceremony-1236024139/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Deadline}} Nicky Doll also performed "I Had a Dream" on the runway. Shortly after, musician Philippe Katerine performed while covered in blue body paint and surrounded by fruit and flowers. While Katerine was depicting the Greek god Dionysus, some viewed him as similar to Belgian comic character Papa Smurf from the popular comic book franchise by Peyo, The Smurfs.{{cite web |last1=Rumsby |first1=Ben |date=2024-07-26 |title='Papa Smurf' and flaming pianos – strangest moments of Paris Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/07/26/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-papa-smurf-flaming-pianos/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=The Telegraph}} Juliette Armanet sang John Lennon's 1971 song "Imagine" while accompanied by Sofiane Pamart on piano, which was ablaze during the performance.{{cite web |last1=Logan |first1=Elizabeth |date=2024-07-26 |title=Everything To Know About "Imagine" at The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/everything-to-know-about-imagine-at-the-olympics |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=NBC News}}

Closing the opening ceremony after the Olympic flame was lit, Canadian singer Céline Dion sang the Édith Piaf song "Hymne à l'amour" on the first level of the Eiffel Tower. The performance was her first since December 2022, after revealing her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome.{{cite web |author1=Ellise Shafer, Elsa Keslassy |title=Celine Dion Gives Emotional Performance on Eiffel Tower at the Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/global/celine-dion-olympics-opening-ceremony-performance-1236081379/ |website=Variety |access-date=26 July 2024 |date=26 July 2024}}

• {{flagicon|France}} National Anthem of France – Axelle Saint-Cirel[https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/live-updates/22d364f8-4755-48f0-b437-acd70fac6e0a 1]
• {{flagicon|IOC}} Olympic Anthem – Orchestre National de France, the Radio France Choir and the Radio France Choir School children's choir

File:Thomas Jolly,Thomas Jolly, Comédien, Metteur en scène de théâtre et d'opéra.jpg, artistic director of the opening ceremony]]

• Artistic director: Thomas Jolly{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/thomas-jolly-profile-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony|title=Thomas Jolly is Masterminding the Most Complex (and Wettest) Olympics Opening Ceremony of All Time |first1=Gaby |last1=Wood |first2=Annie |last2=Leibovitz |date=30 May 2024|website=Vogue}}
• Music director: Victor Le Masne
• Director of Dance: {{ill|Maud Le Pladec|fr}}{{cite web|url=https://press.paris2024.org/news/maud-le-pladec-named-as-director-of-dance-for-the-four-ceremonies-of-the-games-of-paris-2024-and-choreographer-of-the-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-a627-7578a.html|title=Maud Le Pladec, named as Director of Dance for the four ceremonies of the Games of Paris 2024 and choreographer of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony|date=18 June 2024|work=Paris 2024}}
• Choreographer: Maud Le Pladec
• Styling and Costume director: Daphné Bürki{{Cite web |date=26 June 2024 |title=Daphné Bürki, Styling and Costumes Director of the four Ceremonies of the Pari |url=https://press.paris2024.org/news/daphne-burki-styling-and-costumes-director-of-the-four-ceremonies-of-the-paris-2024-games-32ca-7578a.html |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=press.paris2024.org |language=en}}
• Head Costume Master: Olivier Bériot
• Scriptwriters:
• Patrick Boucheron{{Cite web |date=16 July 2024 |title=Paris 2024 reveals the scriptwriters of the narrative of the Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony |url=https://press.paris2024.org/bac-a-sable-wiz/news/paris-2024-reveals-the-scriptwriters-of-the-narrative-of-the-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-b85b-7578a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718001528/https://press.paris2024.org/bac-a-sable-wiz/news/paris-2024-reveals-the-scriptwriters-of-the-narrative-of-the-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-b85b-7578a.html |archive-date=18 July 2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Paris 2024}}
• Damien Gabriac
• Fanny Herrero
• Leïla Slimani

The opening ceremony was filmed by host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), with OBS distributing a "world feed" for rights-holding broadcasters to use.{{Cite web |last=Kerschbaumer |first=Ken |date=2024-07-17 |title=Paris 2024: Inside Look at OBS Plans for 11,000 Hours of Games Coverage |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/07/17/paris-olympic-preview-inside-look-at-obs-plans-for-11000-of-games-coverage/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Sports Video Group |language=en}} Over 120 cameras were used, with four camera boats fitted with specialised stabilisation equipment, seven drones and three helicopters.{{Cite web |last=Sarniguet |first=Pierre |date=24 July 2024 |title=Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games: The figures for an historic evening |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/opening-ceremony-paris-2024-games-figures-for-a-historic-evening |access-date=2 Sep 2024 |website=Olympics}}{{Cite web |last=Kerschbaumer |first=Ken |date=2024-08-12 |title=Live From Paris 2024: OBS CTO Sotiris Salamouris Reflects on the Technical Legacy of the Games |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/08/12/266073/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Sports Video Group |language=en}} The television production of the ceremony was directed by Simon Staffurth, who previously directed the Rio, Tokyo and Beijing opening ceremonies.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-30 |title=OBS rebuts criticism of opening ceremony 'misses' |url=https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/obs-rebuts-criticism-of-opening-ceremony-misses/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=SportBusiness |language=en-US}} Following the ceremony, Jolly criticised OBS, stating they "missed a lot of moments”.

{{more citations needed|section|date=July 2024}}

{{rewrite section|date=July 2024}}

{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|

• {{flagdeco|FRA}} France Télévisions: Daphné Bürki, Laurent Delahousse, {{ill|Alexandre Boyon|fr}}

• {{flagdeco|ARG}} TyC Sports: Gonzalo Bonadeo
• {{flagdeco|AUS}} Nine Network: Karl Stefanovic, Allison Langdon, Todd Woodbridge{{Cite news |last=McCracken |first=Tess |date=2024-07-27 |title=Karl Stefanovic met with fierce backlash after 'cringe' commentary of Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/karl-stefanovic-met-with-fierce-backlash-after-cringe-commentary-of-olympics-opening-ceremony/news-story/efcf3a7f87b39c3402460807ea44049c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727200728/https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/karl-stefanovic-met-with-fierce-backlash-after-cringe-commentary-of-olympics-opening-ceremony/news-story/efcf3a7f87b39c3402460807ea44049c |archive-date=2024-07-27 |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=News.com.au}}
• {{flagdeco|BIH}} BHRT: Velid Spaho, Medina Šehić
• {{flagdeco|BRA}} Grupo Globo
• TV Globo: {{Ill|Luís Roberto|pt|Luís Roberto (jornalista)}}, Galvão Bueno, Daiane dos Santos and Ítalo Ferreira
• SporTV and GloboNews: {{Ill|Milton Leite|pt}}, Fabiana Alvim, César Cielo and Marcelo Lins
• {{ill|CazéTV|pt}}: Casimiro Miguel, Belle Suarez, {{ill|Luis Felipe Freitas|pt}}, Milton Cunha
• {{flagdeco|CAN}} CBC
• CBC TV: Andi Petrillo, Waneek Horn-Miller, Perdita Felicien and Craig McMorris (commentators);[https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.7275202 How to watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games] Scott Russell and Adrienne Arsenault (hosts)
• Ici Télé: Martin Labrosse, Céline Galipeau and Jacinthe Taillon
• {{flagdeco|CHI}} Chilevisión: ?
• {{flagdeco|CHN}} CMG: Sha Tong and Liang Yimiao
• {{flagdeco|CRO}} HRT: Zrinka Grancarić and Marko Šapit
• {{flagdeco|DEN}} DR: Henrik Liniger and {{ill|Stéphanie Surrugue|da}}
• {{flagdeco|ESA}} Canal 12: ?
• {{flagdeco|FIN}} Yle: Jouko Vuolle and Mika Saarelainen
• {{flagdeco|GER}} ARD: {{ill|Tom Bartels|de}} and {{ill|Friederike Hofmann|de| Friederike Hofmann (Journalistin)}}
• {{flagdeco|GRE}} ERT: Dimitris Chatzigeorgiou and Periklis Makris
• {{flagdeco|IDN}} SCTV: Rendra Soedjono, Yuni Kartika, and Koesnaeni
• {{flagdeco|IRL}} RTÉ: Peter Collins{{Cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2024/0726/1460803-everything-you-need-to-know-rtes-olympic-games-coverage/|title=Everything you need to know: RTÉ's Olympic Games coverage|date=26 July 2024|via=www.rte.ie}}
• {{flagdeco|ITA}} Italy
• Rai 2: Franco Bragagna and Alberto Romagnoli
• Eurosport: Dario Puppo and Massimiliano Ambesi
• {{flagdeco|JPN}} Japan Consortium
• NHK: Keita Ito and Kana Nakayama
• TV Asahi: Shunpei Terakawa, Shuzo Matsuoka, and Patrick Lee
• TBS TV: Shinchiro Yasuzumi and Naoko Takahashi
• {{flagdeco|KOR}} KBS: Song Seung-hwan and Lee Jae-hu
• {{flagdeco|MAS}} Astro Arena: Hafizal Hamad and Khairil Azwa{{cite tweet|first=Khairil|last=Azwa|user=wankhairilazwa|number=1816742022612734412|title=OLIMPIK PARIS 2024. Upacara Pembukaan bersama @hafizal_hamad di @ASTROARENA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909032724/https://x.com/wankhairilazwa/status/1816742022612734412 |archive-date=9 September 2024|url-status=live}}
• {{flagdeco|NED}} NOS: {{ill|Léon Haan|nl}} and {{ill|Jan Roelfs (journalist)|nl|Jan Roelfs (1963)|lt=Jan Roelfs}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvgids.nl/nieuws/amusement/nos-commentaar-openingsceremonie-olympische-spelen-kan-kijkers-niet-bekoren |language=nl |title=NOS commentaar openingsceremonie Olympische Spelen kan kijkers niet bekoren |website=tvgids.bl |date=16 July 2024 |access-date=29 July 2024}}
• {{flagdeco|NOR}} NRK: {{Interlanguage link|Ole Rolfsrud|no}}
• {{flagdeco|POL}} TVP: {{Ill|Przemysław Babiarz|pl}} and Jarosław Idzi{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvp.pl/78015790/igrzyska-olimpijskie-2024-w-paryzu-komentatorzy-i-eksperci-tvp-sport |language=pl |title=Igrzyska Olimpijskie w Paryżu. Kto zasiądzie przed mikrofonem? Eksperci i komentatorzy TVP |website=tvp.pl |date=11 June 2024 |access-date=27 July 2024}}
• {{flagdeco|POR}} RTP: Manuel Fernandes Silva and Luís Lopes
• {{flagdeco|SRB}} RTS: Aleksandar Stojanović and Vladimir Mijaljević{{cite web |title=Летње олимпијске игре 2024, свечано отварање |url=https://www.rts.rs/tv/rts1/5491205/letnje-olimpijske-igre-2024-svecano-otvaranje.html |website=rtr.rs |publisher=rts.rs |access-date=27 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727141321/https://www.rts.rs/tv/rts1/5491205/letnje-olimpijske-igre-2024-svecano-otvaranje.html |archive-date=27 July 2024 |url-status=dead }}
• {{flagdeco|SLO}} RTV SLO 2: Urban Laurenčič and Saša Jerkovič{{Cite web |url=https://www.rtvslo.si/rtv/za-medije/sporocila-za-javnost/olimpijske-igre-pariz-2024-na-programih-rtv-slovenija/714413|title=Olimpijske igre Pariz 2024 na programih RTV Slovenija|publisher=MMC RTV Slovenija|date=10 July 2024|language=sl}}
• {{flagdeco|ESP}} RTVE: Marcos López, Julia Luna and Ernest Riveras{{cite web |title=RTVE se vuelca con los Juegos Olímpicos|url=https://www.diariovasco.com/culturas/tv/rtve-vuelca-juegos-olimpicos-20240724192322-ntrc.html |website=diariovasco.com |date=24 July 2024 |access-date=27 July 2024}}
• {{flagdeco|SWE}} Kanal 5: Tommy Åström
• {{flagdeco|TUR}} Turkey
• TRT: Cüneyt Kıran and Eren Koca{{Cite web |url=https://www.yenibakis.com.tr/olimpiyatlari-acilis-toreni-kim-anlatacak-sunuculari-kimler-2024 |title=2024 Olimpiyatları Açılış Töreni kim anlatacak, sunucuları kimler? |trans-title=Who will commentate on the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony and who will be the presenters? |date=26 July 2024 |access-date=27 July 2024 |publisher=Yeni Bakış |language=tr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727052721/https://www.yenibakis.com.tr/olimpiyatlari-acilis-toreni-kim-anlatacak-sunuculari-kimler-2024 |archive-date=27 July 2024}}
• {{ill|Eurosport News (Turkish TV channel)|tr|Eurosport News (Türkiye)|lt=Eurosport News}}: Caner Eler, İzgecan Günal
• {{flagdeco|GBR}} BBC: Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter
• {{flagdeco|USA}} NBCUniversal
• NBC Sports: Mike Tirico, Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Maria Taylor, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb
• Telemundo: Miguel Gurwitz, Jessica Carrillo and Julio Vaqueiro{{Cite web |date=23 July 2024 |title=Cómo ver los Juegos Olímpicos París 2024 en español a través de Telemundo |trans-title=How to see the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Spanish through Telemundo |url=https://www.telemundo51.com/deportes/telemundo-cuando-horario-ceremonia-inauguracion-futbol-juegos-olimpicos-paris-2024-espanol/2560604/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726150954/https://www.telemundo51.com/deportes/telemundo-cuando-horario-ceremonia-inauguracion-futbol-juegos-olimpicos-paris-2024-espanol/2560604/ |archive-date=26 July 2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=WSCV |language=es}}

}}

• President Emmanuel Macron{{Cite news |last=Venance |first=Loic |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.hjnews.com/sports/nation/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/image_85696169-5b4a-5e0e-adad-9549fb867ceb.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=The Herald Journal |issn=2834-5401 |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=29 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240729093626/https://www.hjnews.com/sports/nation/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/image_85696169-5b4a-5e0e-adad-9549fb867ceb.html }}
• Former President François Hollande{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=JO Paris 2024 : François Hollande ironise sur la pluie à la cérémonie d'ouverture |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/jeux-olympiques/j0-paris-2024-francois-hollande-ironise-sur-la-pluie-a-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-20240726 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}
• First Lady Brigitte Macron
• Prime Minister Gabriel Attal{{Cite web |last=Le Segretain |first=Pascal |date=2024-07-26 |title=Opening Ceremony - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 0 |url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/french-prime-minister-gabriel-attal-and-president-of-the-news-photo/2163837832 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728131821/https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/french-prime-minister-gabriel-attal-and-president-of-the-news-photo/2163837832 |archive-date=28 July 2024 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Getty Images |url-status=live}}
• COJOP2024 President Tony Estanguet
• Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo
• President of CNOSF and UCI David Lappartient

Members of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic movement, not counting foreign representatives:

• Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee
• Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee
• Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA{{Cite news |last=Le Segretain |first=Paul |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.citizentribune.com/sports/national/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/image_48be4238-a798-554d-bf8d-2c7a2e8c6b68.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728132946/https://www.citizentribune.com/sports/national/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/image_48be4238-a798-554d-bf8d-2c7a2e8c6b68.html |archive-date=28 July 2024 |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=Citizen Tribune |location=Morristown, Tennessee |agency=Associated Press |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=David |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Day 0 - Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.sportsfile.com/id/2892026/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728133158/https://www.sportsfile.com/id/2892026/ |archive-date=28 July 2024 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=SportsFile |publication-place=Dublin }}

The local organizing committee had expected around 120 world leaders would attend the ceremony, next to around 160 ministers.{{cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1145608/france-prepares-120-world-leaders-at|title=France prepares for 120 world leaders at the opening of Paris 2024|work= Inside the Games|date=27 May 2024|access-date=27 May 2024}} In another report, the French government said that at least one hundred heads of state and government had accepted the invitation to the Games, but did not disclose any other details.{{cite web|url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/sports-diplomacy/paris-2024-olympic-and-paralympic-games/|title=Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games|work=French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs}}

According to a list from the Elysée, three hundred foreign dignitaries from 130 countries and organizations, including 85 heads of state and government, were at Paris for the ceremony.{{cite web|url= https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-summit-sport-development-c18580df70bec02fe192654f17f27c1e|title= Macron touts Paris summit tying sports and sustainability during Olympics|website= Associated Press News|date= 25 July 2024|access-date=25 July 2024}} President Macron and IOC president Bach hosted a reception and a Sports for Sustainable Development Summit with visiting dignitaries.

{{div col}}

• Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania and Linda Rama{{cite news|url= https://impact-european.com/the-macron-couple-welcomes-the-whole-world-before-the-opening-ceremony/|title= The Macron couple welcomes the whole world to the opening ceremony|access-date=29 August 2024}}
• Xavier Espot Zamora, Prime Minister of Andorra
• Javier Milei, President of Argentina and his sister, Karina Milei{{cite news |title=Javier Milei estará en los Juegos Olímpicos y le pidió a Macron ir a ver un equipo |trans-title=Javier Milei will be at the Olympic Games and asked Macron to watch a team|url=https://www.tycsports.com/polideportivo/javier-milei-estara-en-los-juegos-olimpicos-y-le-pidio-a-macron-ir-a-ver-un-equipo-id591354.html |work=TyC Sports|publisher=Tele Red Imagen S.A.|date=18 June 2024 |language=spanish}}
• Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of Armenia{{cite web|url= https://www.president.am/en/press-release/item/2024/07/26/President-Vahagn-Khachaturyan-in-Paris/|title= President Vahagn Khachaturyan attended the opening of the "Olympic House of Armenia" in Paris|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Anika Wells, Minister for Sports of Australia (representing King Charles III and Governor General Sam Mostyn){{cite web |title=Anika Wells to attend Olympics |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympics/paris-olympics-organisers-to-leave-nothing-to-chance-with-drones-to-protect-athletes-during-an-opening-ceremony-enveloped-in-love/news-story/3f38f0a9e9f9cd42dfa7877e5b6cd900&usg=AOvVaw34YLdKeLZijYCOPD8RLmRY&opi=89978449 |access-date=21 July 2024 |website=The Australian}}
• Karl Nehammer, Chancellor of Austria{{Cite web |title=Parisbesuch von Bundeskanzler Nehammer auf Einladung von Präsident Macron |url=https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oeb-paris/veranstaltungen/detail/seite?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=44669&cHash=c5166450453f9c9177df601bf0fb6d7f,%20https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oeb-paris/veranstaltungen/detail/seite?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=44669&cHash=c5166450453f9c9177df601bf0fb6d7f |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Außenministerium der Republik Österreich |language=de-AT}}
• King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium{{Cite web |title=Le Roi et la Reine assistent à l'ouverture des Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024 |url=https://www.monarchie.be/ |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=monarchie.be |language=fr}}
• Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium and Annik Penders{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Alexander De Croo n'était pas le seul à se protéger de la pluie lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO : les images insolites du Roi, de la Reine... et de Charles Michel (photos) |url=https://www.sudinfo.be/id862224/article/2024-07-27/alexander-de-croo-netait-pas-le-seul-se-proteger-de-la-pluie-lors-de-la |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=sudinfo.be |language=fr}}
• Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck of Bhutan{{efn|name=iocmem|}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=OLYMPICS-2024/LEADERS |url=https://pictures.reuters.com/archive/OLYMPICS-2024-LEADERS-RC2239A59BE2.html |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Reuters Pictures |publisher=Reuters}}
• Denis Bećirović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and First Lady Mirela Bećirović{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Predsjedavajući Predsjedništva BiH dr. Denis Bećirović na ceremoniji otvaranja Ljetnih olimpijskih igara |url=http://www.predsjednistvobih.ba/saop/default.aspx?id=102442&langTag=bs-BA |access-date=2024-08-04 |publisher=Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina |language=bs}}
• Rosângela Lula da Silva, First Lady of Brazil (representing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva){{cite web|url=https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/lula-diz-que-nao-vai-a-olimpiada-de-paris-mas-enviara-janja-em-seu-lugar/|title=Lula diz que não irá à Olimpíada de Paris, mas enviará Janja em seu lugar|website=CNN Brasil|language=pt-br|first=Aline|last=Fernandes|date=11 July 2024|access-date=12 July 2024|trans-title=Lula says he won't go to Paris Olympics, but will send Janja in his place}}
• André Fufuca, Minister of Sports of Brazil
• Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria and First Lady Desislava Radeva{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Not cited in the list of guests published by France 24}}
• José Maria Neves, President of Cape Verde{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Not cited in the list of guests published by France 24}}
• Paul Biya, President of Cameroon and First Lady Chantal Biya
• Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity of Canada (representing King Charles III and Governor General Mary Simon){{Cite web |last= |first= |date=22 July 2024 |title=Minister Qualtrough will be at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to cheer on Team Canada |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/minister-qualtrough-will-be-at-the-paris-2024-olympic-games-to-cheer-on-team-canada-830881695.html |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Newswire }}
• Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic
• Jaime Pizarro, Minister of Sports of Chile (representing President Gabriel Boric){{Cite web |last=Daffunchio Picazo |first=Raúl |date=19 July 2024 |title=President Gabriel Boric cancels Paris 2024 trip amid Chile crime surge |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1146809/chile-boric-cancels-paris-2024-ceremony |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Inside the Games}}
• Han Zheng, Vice President of China (representing President Xi Jinping){{Cite web |last=刘小卓 |date=22 July 2024 |title=Chinese VP to attend opening ceremony of Olympic Games Paris 2024 |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202407/22/WS669e23eea31095c51c50f48f.html |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=China Daily}}
• Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia and First Lady Verónica Alcocer{{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Jill Biden, royalty but no Zelensky? Top guests at the Paris Olympics |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240724-jill-biden-royalty-but-no-putin-top-guests-at-the-paris-olympics |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=France 24 }}{{Cite web |last=Agudelo |first=Francy |date=2024-07-26 |title=Primera foto oficial de Petro con Verónica Alcocer tras escándalo en Panamá sacudió las redes sociales: "Mis impuestos sabrosos viajan" |url=https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/07/26/primera-foto-oficial-del-presidente-petro-con-veronica-alcocer-sacudio-las-redes-sociales-mis-impuestos-sabrosos-viajan/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Infobae |language=es}}
• Tom Marsters, President of the Cook Islands
• Azali Assoumani, President of the Comoros and First Lady Ambari Assoumani
• Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former President of Croatia{{efn|name=iocmem|As member of the IOC}}
• Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia
• Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus and First Lady Philippa Karsera{{cite web |title=President and first lady to attend Olympic games |url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2024/07/26/president-and-first-lady-to-attend-olympic-games/ |access-date=27 July 2024 |website=Cyprus Mail|date=26 July 2024 }}
• Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Jana Fialová{{Cite web |date=18 July 2024 |title=PM Fiala to attend Olympic Games opening ceremony |url=https://english.radio.cz/pm-fiala-attend-olympic-games-opening-ceremony-8823208 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Radio Prague International }}
• King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark{{Cite web |title=De Olympiske Lege i Paris |url=https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/de-olympiske-lege-i-paris |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=Kongehuset.dk |language=da}}
• Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti{{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Djibouti : IOG and Macron to sign defence treaty after lengthy negotiations |url=https://www.africaintelligence.com/eastern-africa-and-the-horn/2024/07/24/iog-and-macron-to-sign-defence-treaty-after-lengthy-negotiations,110270463-art |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Africa Intelligence }}
• Alar Karis, President of Estonia and First Lady Sirje Karis{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=25 July 2024 |title=President Alar Karis and first lady attending Paris Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://news.err.ee/1609406446/president-alar-karis-and-first-lady-attending-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=ERR }}
• Wiliame Katonivere, President of Fiji and First Lady Filomena Dikumete-Katonivere{{cite web |date=21 July 2024 |title=Head of State to attend 2024 Olympics |url=https://www.facebook.com/FijiGovernment/posts/pfbid08FkBSmFhWH6c2mMo2gpAhDVEQbp2xqFozkt5ZqHBhfkVsjCQNtwHoyaoj1aqmofrl |access-date=22 July 2024 |publisher=Fiji Government |via=Facebook}}
• Alexander Stubb, President of Finland and First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb{{cite web |date=23 July 2024 |title=Presidentti Stubb vierailee Ranskassa ja Pariisin kesäolympialaisissa |url=https://www.presidentti.fi/presidentti-stubb-vierailee-ranskassa-ja-pariisin-kesaolympialaisissa/ |access-date=23 July 2024 |publisher=Tasavallan presidentin kanslia}}
• Brice Oligui Nguema, Transitional President of Gabon
• Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia and her daughter, Kéthévane Zourabichvili
• Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia
• Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany and Britta Ernst{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Olympia 2024: Pressestatement des Kanzlers in Paris |url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/pressestatement-olympia-2301082 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Bundesregierung |publisher=Government of Germany |language=de-DE}}
• Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece and Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis{{Cite web |date=17 July 2024 |title=Mitsotakis to attend Paris Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.ekathimerini.com/sports/1244189/mitsotakis-to-attend-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/ |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=eKathimerini }}
• Bah Oury, Prime Minister of Guinea
• Umaro Sissoco Embaló, President of Guinea-Bissau
• Smith Augustin, Transitional President of Haiti
• Kevin Yeung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hong Kong{{Cite web|url=https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202407/26/P2024072600499.htm|title=SCST commences visit to Paris (with photos)|date=2024-07-26|work=HKSAR Government Press Release|access-date=2024-07-27}}
• Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary and First Lady Zsuzsanna Nagy
• Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Not cited in the list of guests published by France 24}}
• Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Defense and President-elect of Indonesia{{Cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title=Prabowo to join Paris Olympics opening ceremony|url=https://en.antaranews.com/news/320071/prabowo-to-join-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony|access-date=26 July 2024 |website=AntaraNews.com |publisher=Antara}}
• Erick Thohir, Minister of State Owned Enterprises and Chair of the Football Association of Indonesia{{efn|name=iocmem|}}
• Abdul Latif Rashid, President of Iraq{{cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Iraqi president to attend Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/world/24072024 |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=Rudaw}}
• Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region{{cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title=President Barzani to attend Paris Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/world/26072024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Rudaw}}
• Simon Harris, Taoiseach of Ireland and Caoimhe Wade{{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Taoiseach Simon Harris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and to attend the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/9a004-taoiseach-simon-harris-to-meet-french-president-emmanuel-macron-and-to-attend-the-33rd-olympic-games-in-paris/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Government of Ireland }}
• Isaac Herzog, President of Israel and First Lady Michal Herzog{{Cite web |last=Cashman |first=Greer Fay |date=21 July 2024 |title=President Herzog will attend opening of Olympic Games in Paris amid calls to stop Israel competing |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-811280 |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post }}
• Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy{{Cite web |date=2024-07-25 |title=Mattarella meets Italian Olympians in Paris (3) |url=https://www.ansa.it/english/newswire/english_service/2024/07/25/mattarella-meets-italian-olympians-in-paris-3_6ae2f950-1192-453e-a25e-d2439d9f74b5.html |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata}}
• Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast
• Yuko Kishida, spouse of the Prime Minister of Japan (representing Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida)
• Prince Faisal bin Hussein of Jordan{{efn|name=iocmem|}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Prince Faisal attends Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-109/News/Prince-Faisal-attends-Paris-2024-Olympic-opening-ceremony-36684 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Jordan News |language=en}}
• Vjosa Osmani, President of Kosovo{{Cite news |title=Presidentja Osmani krahas liderëve botërorë në Lojërat Olimpike Paris 2024 |url=https://president-ksgov.net/presidentja-osmani-krahas-lidereve-boterore-ne-lojerat-olimpike-paris-2024/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=President of the Republic of Kosovo - Vjosa Osmani}}
• Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo
• Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan{{Cite web |last= |date=24 July 2024 |title=President Zhaparov to attend opening of Summer Olympics in France |url=https://en.kabar.kg/news/president-zhaparov-to-visit-france/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |publisher=Kabar}}
• Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia{{Cite web |date=25 July 2024 |title=President to attend Paris Olympics |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/president_to_attend_paris_olympics/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=The Baltic Times}}
• Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Lebanon{{cite web|url= https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/lebanon/275592|title= Mikati in Paris for Opening Ceremony of the Olympics|date= 26 July 2024|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Mohamed al-Menfi, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya
• Princess Nora of Liechtenstein{{efn|name=iocmem|}}{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Most sources found are either from user-generated royal blogs, or the deprecated Royal Central website}}
• Daniel Risch, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
• Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė{{Cite web |title=Lithuanian president to attend opening of Olympic Games in Paris |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/lithuanian_president_to_attend_opening_of_olympic_games_in_paris/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Baltic Times}}
• Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg{{efn|name=iocmem|}} and Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg{{Cite web |last=Weimerskirch |first=Pierre |date=26 June 2024 |title=Exclusive interview with Grand Duke Henri: 'There will be a lot of Luxembourgers at the Paris Olympics' |url=https://today.rtl.lu/news/luxembourg/a/2208485.html |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=RTL Today}}
• Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
• Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar
• Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Vice President of Maldives{{cite web |url=https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/31221 |title=Vice President depats to attend Paris 2024 Olympics |website=Maldives Presidency |access-date=24 July 2024}}
• Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta{{cite web |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/sports/olympics/130432/robert_abela_in_paris_ahead_of_olympic_games_opening_ceremony |title=Robert Abela in Paris ahead of Olympic games opening ceremony |access-date=2024-07-28}}
• Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of Mauritania{{cite news |date=27 July 2024 |title=غزواني يعود إلى نواكشوط قادما من باريس |trans-title=Ghazouani returns to Nouakchott coming from Paris |url=https://alakhbar.info/?q=node/55240 |publisher=Al Akhbar |language=ar |access-date=30 July 2024}}
• Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed Ould Djé, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Relations with Parliament of Mauritania
• Jesús María Tarriba, First Gentleman-designate of Mexico (representing President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum)
• Maia Sandu, President of Moldova
• Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco{{efn|name=iocmem|}} and Charlene, Princess of Monaco{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Albert et Charlène sortent les ponchos à la cérémonie d'ouverture de Paris 2024 |url=https://www.parismatch.com/royal-blog/albert-et-charlene-sortent-les-ponchos-la-ceremonie-douverture-de-paris-2024-240022 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Paris Match |language=fr}}
• Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, President of Mongolia{{Cite web |title=President of Mongolia to Attend Opening Ceremony of Paris-2024 Summer Olympics |url=https://montsame.mn/en/read/348305 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=MONTSAME News Agency }}
• Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro{{cite web|url=https://en.vijesti.me/news-b/politika/716335/Both-Milatovic-and-Spajic-are-going-to-the-opening-of-the-Olympic-Games-in-Paris|title= Milatovic and Spajic are going to the Olympics|work= vijesti.me|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro{{Cite web |title=Government delegation to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and International Summit on Sport and Sustainable Development |url=http://www.gov.me/en/article/government-delegation-to-attend-opening-ceremony-of-the-olympic-games-and-international-summit-on-sport-and-sustainable-development |access-date=22 July 2024 |website=Government of Montenegro }}
• Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco (representing King Mohammed VI){{Cite web |date=25 July 2024 |title=Le chef du gouvernement représente Sa Majesté le Roi à la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris |url=https://www.mapnews.ma/fr/actualites/politique/le-chef-du-gouvernement-repr%C3%A9sente-sa-majest%C3%A9-le-roi-%C3%A0-la-c%C3%A9r%C3%A9monie-d%E2%80%99ouverture |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=Maghreb Arabe Presse}}
• King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands{{cite web|url=https://www.nu.nl/achterklap/6321202/willem-alexander-maxima-en-prinsessen-bezoeken-olympische-spelen-in-parijs.html|title=Willem-Alexander, Máxima en prinsessen bezoeken Olympische Spelen in Parijs|trans-title=Willem-Alexander, Máxima and princesses visit Paris Olympics|language=nl|work=NU.nl|date=18 June 2024|access-date=18 June 2024}}
• Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange
• Princess Alexia of the Netherlands
• Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand (representing King Charles III){{cite web|url= https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2407/S00321/governor-general-at-the-paris-2024-olympic-games.htm|title= Governor-General At The Paris 2024 Olympic Games|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Abdoulaye Mohamadou, Minister of Youth and Sports of Niger
• John Owan Enoh, Minister of Sports Development of Nigeria
• Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Oman (representing Sultan Haitham bin Tariq){{Cite web |title=Olympic Village in Paris welcome arrival of Oman's national teams |url=https://139.162.210.149/article/148053-olympic-village-in-paris-welcome-arrival-of-omans-national-teams |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801081533/https://139.162.210.149/article/148053-olympic-village-in-paris-welcome-arrival-of-omans-national-teams |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 August 2024 |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=Times of Oman }}
• Santiago Peña, President of Paraguay
• Andrzej Duda, President of Poland{{Cite web |date=2024-07-25 |title=Polish president sets off for Paris Olympic opening ceremony |url=https://tvpworld.com/79474850/polish-president-sets-off-for-muchanticipated-paris-olympic-opening-ceremony |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=TVP World |language=pl}}
• Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal{{Cite web |date=2024-07-22 |title=Paris2024: Presidente da República confirma presença na Cerimónia de Abertura |url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/jogos-olimpicos-2024-atletas-portugueses/paris2024-presidente-da-republica-confirma-presenca-na-cerimonia-de-abertura_d1587914 |access-date=2024-08-04 |publisher=Rádio e Televisão de Portugal |language=pt-PT}}
• Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar{{efn|name=iocmem|}}
• Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania{{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Romanian president will be in Paris for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games |url=https://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-president-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-2024 |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Romania Insider }}
• Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
• Alessandro Rossi and Milena Gasperoni, Captains Regent of San Marino
• Patrice Trovoada, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe
• Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud of Saudi Arabia{{efn|name=iocmem|}}{{Cite web |last=Maryam |first=Sayeedah |date=2024-07-31 |title=Inside HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud's Olympics Trip |url=https://en.vogue.me/culture/hrh-princess-reema-bint-bandar-al-saud-paris-olympics-2024-pictures/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Vogue Arabia |language=en-GB}}
• Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President of Senegal{{cite web|url= https://www.africaintelligence.com/west-africa/2024/07/24/diomaye-faye-to-be-special-guest-at-paris-olympics,110271455-bre|title= Diomaye Faye to be special guest at Paris Olympics|access-date=24 July 2024}}
• Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia{{cite web|url= https://www.telegraf.rs/english/3934796-serbian-president-vucic-to-attend-opening-of-olympic-games-in-paris|title= Serbian President Vucic to attend opening of Olympic Games in Paris|date= 25 July 2024|access-date=27 July 2024}}
• Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone{{cite web|url= https://thisdaysl.com/sierra-leone-president-bio-departs-ahead-of-sport-for-sustainable-development-summit-in-france/|title= President Bio departs ahead of Sport for Sustainable Development Summit and Olympics in France|date= 24 July 2024|access-date=25 July 2024}}
• Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore{{cite web |title=Visit by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to the French Republic for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, 24 to 28 July 2024 |url=https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Newsroom/Press-Statements-Transcripts-and-Photos/2024/07/20240723-President-Paris-Olympics|language=en|work=mfa.gov.sg|date=23 July 2024|access-date=23 July 2024}}
• Peter Pellegrini, President of Slovakia{{cite web | author=SITA Slovenská tlačová agentúra a.s. | title=Prezident Pellegrini odišiel do Paríža so zástupcami Slovenského olympijského a športového výboru | website=SITA.sk | date=25 July 2024 | url=https://sita.sk/prezident-pellegrini-odisiel-do-pariza-so-zastupcami-slovenskeho-olympijskeho-a-sportoveho-vyboru/ | language=sk | access-date=25 July 2024}}
• Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia{{cite web|url=https://english.sta.si/3325124/president-going-to-paris-ahead-of-olympics-opening|title= President going to Paris ahead of Olympics opening|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Robert Golob, Prime Minister of Slovenia{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Prime Minister Golob visits the Slovenia House in Paris |url=https://www.gov.si/en/news/2024-07-26-prime-minister-golob-visits-the-slovenia-house-in-paris/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Portal GOV.SI |language=en}}
• Gayton McKenzie, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa (representing President Cyril Ramaphosa){{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Craig |date=24 July 2024 |title=Paris 2024 Olympics set for spectacular opening amid global political and sporting tension |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-24-paris-games-set-for-spectacular-opening-amid-global-political-and-sporting-tension/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=Daily Maverick }}
• King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
• Viola Amherd, President of Switzerland{{cite web|url= https://www.worldradio.ch/news/bitesize-news/swiss-president-at-olympic-games-in-paris/|title= Swiss President at Olympic Games in Paris|access-date=28 July 2024}}
• Sermsak Pongpanit, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand (representing King Maha Vajiralongkorn)
• Matviy Bidnyi, Temporary Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine (representing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy){{Cite web |date=25 July 2024 |title=Jeux olympiques 2024 : Volodymyr Zelensky absent de la cérémonie d'ouverture |url=https://www.sudouest.fr/international/europe/ukraine/volodymyr-zelensky/jeux-olympiques-2024-volodymyr-zelensky-absent-de-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-20684924.php |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=SudOuest.fr |language=fr}}
• Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (representing King Charles III)
• Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States (representing President Joe Biden){{cite web |date=12 July 2024 |title=President Biden Announces Presidential Delegations to Paris, France to Attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/07/12/president-biden-announces-presidential-delegations-to-paris-france-to-attend-the-opening-and-closing-ceremonies-of-the-paris-2024-olympic-and-paralympic-games/#:~:text=Dr.%20Jill%20Biden%2C%20First%20Lady,Closing%20of%20the%20Olympic%20Games. |access-date=13 July 2024 |website=White House}}
• Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles (host city of the 2028 Summer Olympics){{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=Ahead of 2028, Mayor Bass travels with Jill Biden to Paris Olympic Games |url=https://abc7.com/post/mayor-karen-bass-travels-to-paris-olympics-with-presidential-delegation/15089793/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles }}
• Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner of California, (representing Governor Gavin Newsom of California, state of the 2028 Summer Olympics host city)
• {{ill|Nguyễn Văn Hùng (politician)|vi|Nguyễn Văn Hùng (chính khách sinh năm 1961)|lt=Nguyễn Văn Hùng}}, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam (representing President Tô Lâm){{Cite web |title=Lễ viếng Tổng Bí thư Nguyễn Phú Trọng tại Pháp |url=https://baoquangngai.vn/quoc-te/202407/le-vieng-tong-bi-thu-nguyen-phu-trong-tai-phap-1a55e5b/ |access-date=26 July 2024 |website=baoquangngai.vn |language=vi}}
• Constantino Chiwenga, Vice President of Zimbabwe

{{div col end}}

The following dignitaries from international organizations were in attendance:

• Moussa Faki. Chairperson of the African Union Commission
• Charles Michel, President of the European Council{{cite web|url= https://www.tatler.com/gallery/the-paris-2024-olympics-guest-list-foreign-royal-and-dignitary-attending|title= Paris 2024 guest list|date= 26 July 2024|access-date=27 July 2024}}
• Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission
• Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank{{cite web|url= https://www.politico.eu/article/lagarde/|title= Lagarde to skip G20 to feel the Olympic buzz in Paris|date= 23 July 2024|access-date=25 July 2024}}
• Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the Francophonie
• Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the OECD
• Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO{{cite web|url= https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/1816050668404150728|title= Audrey Azoulay to attend Sport Summit 2024|access-date=25 July 2024}}
• António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations{{cite web|url= https://press.un.org/en/2024/db240723.doc.htm|title= Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General|access-date=24 July 2024}}
• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Director General of the WHO

The ceremony received mixed reviews, with most of its criticism directed towards its length and format, weather conditions, technical issues, and other aspects of the production itself, but with praise for its musical performances, themes of inclusivity, and its final acts (including the cauldron lighting and Céline Dion's closing performance).{{Cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Claire |last2=Noack |first2=Rick |date=2024-07-27 |title=Olympic Ceremonies on the Seine were a daring feat. Paris stuck the landing. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/07/26/olympics-opening-ceremony-2024-paris-seine/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news |last=Akbar |first=Arifa |date=2024-07-26 |title=Paris Olympics opening ceremony review – soaring ambition deflated by patchy delivery |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/26/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-review-soaring-ambition-deflated-by-patchy-delivery |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} 86% of French residents surveyed by the organizing committee considered the opening ceremony to have been "successful".{{Cite web |date=2024-07-28 |title=Oui, the French loved the Paris 2024 opening |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2024/07/28/french-loved-paris-games-opening-ceremonies-poll-shows-organizers-sorry-for-offense/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-07-28 |title=JO de Paris 2024 : plus de 85% des Français ont jugé la cérémonie "réussie", selon un sondage |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/ceremonies-d-ouverture-et-de-cloture/jo-de-paris-2024-plus-de-85-des-francais-ont-juge-la-ceremonie-reussie-selon-un-sondage_6692121.html |website=francetvinfo.fr |language=fr}}

Among France's newspapers of record, Le Monde considered it a "dream-like spectacle" that showcased a country that was "inclusive" and "unafraid of controversy",{{Cite news |date=2024-07-27 |title=JO de Paris 2024 : de la tension sécuritaire à une fête grandiose, le récit d'une cérémonie d'ouverture historique |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/27/jo-de-paris-2024-de-la-tension-securitaire-a-une-fete-grandiose-le-recit-d-une-ceremonie-d-ouverture-historique_6259275_3242.html |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=Le Monde.fr |language=fr}} while Libération described it as "imbued with inclusivity and self-deprecation", and hailed a "catharsis that was all the more welcome" after the stress of France's snap elections and "sublimated by the rain that turned into an artistic asset".{{Cite news |date=2024-07-27 |title=A la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO 2024, rien que de l'eau, de l'eau de pluie, de l'eau de halo |url=https://www.liberation.fr/sports/jeux-olympiques/la-ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-2024-rien-que-de-leau-de-leau-de-pluie-de-leau-de-halo-20240727_TU2N6LUMIRFLPECSGRY64U74FA/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=Liberation.fr |language=fr}} The conservative Le Figaro described it as "a grandiose and sumptuous spectacle", but demonstrating that France "[can't] help drawing from its revolutionary guts the spirit of provocation and discord that has always fueled its paradoxes and divisions".{{Cite news |date=2024-07-27 |title=Ces images que la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris 2024 aurait pu nous épargner |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/ces-images-que-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024-aurait-pu-nous-epargner-20240726 |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=lefigaro.fr |language=fr}} French right-wing newspapers and commentators were less impressed, and called it 'woke propaganda'.{{Cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=2024-07-27 |title='It was like us – a chaotic mess': France enjoys Paris Games opening ceremony |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/27/france-verdict-paris-olympic-opening-ceremony |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

Writing for Time, Judy Berman felt that the ceremony was "occasionally weird, wildly ambitious, ultimately wonderful, and extremely French", and remarked that "the most enjoyable moments tended to be the strangest—and the most idiosyncratically French—ones. Dozens of dancers in hot pink doing the can-can? Fantastique. Marie Antoinette holding her freshly severed, singing head, as the introduction to a set piece that would pair opera singer Marina Viotti with French metal stalwarts Gojira? Vive la révolution."{{Cite magazine |last=Berman |first=Judy |date=2024-07-26 |title=The Olympics Opening Ceremony Was a Love Letter to Paris |url=https://time.com/7004249/olympics-opening-ceremony-2024-review/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |magazine=TIME |language=en}} Arifa Akbar of The Guardian described the ceremony as being "like a motley outfit thrown together. Water cannons, street dancers in Louis XIV outfits, and ultra-camp fashion shows which seemed like a crime against haute couture: it would not have looked out of place at Cannes' gaudy la Croisette." However, Akbar felt that the final act and cauldron lighting was more "dignified", and that "the ceremony could have done with so much more of this class."

New York Times television critic Mike Hale considered the ceremony to be "quintessentially French: titillating, hermetic, light on humor and heavy on pretense", and praised the cauldron lighting and finale, but felt that the boat parade made the NBC telecast feel like a "bloated made-for-TV spectacle" akin to an awards show or holiday parade in comparison to past opening ceremonies.{{Cite news |last=Hale |first=Mike |date=2024-07-26 |title=Opening Ceremony Misses the Boat |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/arts/television/olympics-opening-ceremony-tv.html |access-date=2024-07-29 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The New Statesman compared the artistic segments to the Eurovision Song Contest, believing that the BBC's telecast needed a commentator such as Graham Norton "who could make sense of it all, or at least dryly mock that which they could not."{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Nicholas |date=2024-07-27 |title=The Paris Olympics opening ceremony was more Eurovision than Bastille Day |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/sport/2024/07/the-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-was-more-eurovision-than-bastille-day |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}} The inclusion of the Minions of the Despicable Me film franchise (characters who were created and voiced by the film's French director Pierre Coffin) were considered by U.S. critics as cross-promotion by the Olympics' local rights holder NBCUniversal (whose American studio Universal Pictures distributes the films), with Aramide Tinubu of Variety describing the scene as "both odd and off-putting".{{Cite web |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=2024-07-26 |title=Olympics Opening Ceremony Review: Paris' Lengthy Spectacle On The Seine Lost In Translation On The Small Screen |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/olympics-2024-paris-opening-ceremony-recap-1236023636/ |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |quote=}}{{Cite web |last=Tinubu |first=Aramide |date=2024-07-26 |title=2024 Paris Olympics Launches With a Stunning, Unique and Très French Opening Ceremony: TV Review |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/reviews/2024-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-review-1236086528/ |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=Variety |language=en-US |quote=}}{{Cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |date=2024-07-27 |title=Review: Olympics opening ceremony shined with best of Paris and France, but failed as TV |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-07-26/paris-olympics-opening-ceremonies-review |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |quote=}}

According to Médiamétrie ratings, the opening ceremony was seen in France by an average of 23.2 million viewers, and peaking at 25.2 million, making it among the country's 10 most-watched television broadcasts of all time behind the 2022 FIFA World Cup final (24.08 million).{{Cite web |title=Olympic opening ceremony was one of France's most-viewed TV events ever |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/1157988/olympic-opening-ceremony-was-one-of-frances-most-viewed-tv-events-ever |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=The Brussels Times |language=en}} In the United States, NBC Sports reported that the opening ceremony was seen by 28.6 million viewers across its live broadcast and prime time encore, its highest viewership for any Olympic opening ceremony since 2014.{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Rick |date=2024-07-27 |title=TV Ratings: Olympics Opening Ceremony Draws Biggest Audience for Summer Games Since 2012 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-tv-ratings-1235960009/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} In Canada, the CBC also reported ratings improvements over Tokyo 2020, with 13.3 million viewing all or part of the broadcast across CBC Television and its sub-license partners.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-29 |title=Paris Olympics opening ceremony sees surge in Canadian viewership |url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics-and-paralympics/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-sees-surge-in-canadian-viewership/article_1a5ec3e6-ae88-5dcc-9714-83e153542eb7.html |access-date=2024-07-30 |website= |language=en |via=Toronto Star |agency=Canadian Press}}

{{Main|Concerns and controversies at the 2024 Summer Olympics}}

{{Anchor|Festivité controversy}}

{{See also| Drag and the Olympic Games}}

The Festivité segment contained a scene of drag queens and other dancers (such as child krump dancer, Adeline Cruz),{{cite web | last=S.A | first=Telewizja Polska | title=Drag queen parody of 'The Last Supper' sparks fury at Olympics opening ceremony | website=TVP World | date=2024-07-27 | url=https://tvpworld.com/79508728/drag-queen-parody-of-the-last-supper-sparks-fury-at-olympics-opening-ceremony | access-date=2024-08-25 | quote=On either side of her were drag queens in various poses as well as a child.}} arranged in a row along a catwalk. A statement from Paris 2024 said that it was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fresco The Last Supper (housed in Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, one of the host cities of the 2026 Winter Olympics), which depicts Jesus and the Twelve Apostles.{{cite web |last1=Kaloi |first1=Stephanie |date=28 July 2024 |title=Paris Olympics Producers Say 'The Last Supper' Inspired That Opening Ceremony Scene: 'Many Have Done It Before' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/paris-olympics-producers-last-supper-inspired-opening-ceremony/ |access-date=29 July 2024 |website=TheWrap |publisher= |quote=Many, including Jolly and the official Olympics Games X account, said that the scene is an 'interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus' that 'makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.' Others, including a statement from Paris 2024 producers obtained by TheWrap Sunday, said that it was in fact inspired by Da Vinci's famous painting — a skewing of the religious imagery that has been slammed by Christians as a mockery of Jesus Christ. 'For the "Festivities" segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting to create the setting,' producers said in the statement.}}

The segment was criticized by some Christian groups.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Bishops, other Catholics around world decry 'derision' of Christianity at Olympics opening ceremony |url=https://catholicreview.org/bishops-other-catholics-around-world-decry-derision-of-christianity-at-olympics-opening-ceremony/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Catholic Review |language=en-US}} The Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of France considered it a "derision and mockery of Christianity". The Holy See "deplore[d] the offence" caused to Christians.{{cite news |last1=McElwee |first1=Joshua |title=Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling 'Last Supper' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vatican-saddened-by-olympic-ceremony-skit-resembling-last-supper-2024-08-03/ |access-date=5 August 2024 |work=Reuters |date=3 August 2024 |quote=The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offence done to many Christians and believers of other religions," it said in an unusual weekend evening press release issued in French.}} The Russian Orthodox Church criticized the opening ceremony.[https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/russian-orthodox-church-criticizes-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony/3288248 Russian Orthodox Church criticizes Paris Olympics opening ceremony], Anadolu Ajansı, 29 July 2024. The ecumenical organization the World Council of Churches asked for an explanation from the IOC and described Christians as being "angered".{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Upset bishops and mixed reviews for Paris Olympics ceremony |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240727-upset-bishops-and-mixed-reviews-for-paris-olympics-ceremony |access-date=2024-07-28 |publisher=AFP |language=en |via=France24}}{{Cite web |title=Paris Olympic opening ceremony criticized for disrespecting religious beliefs |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/sports/paris-olympic-opening-ceremony-criticized-for-disrespecting-religious-beliefs/3287897 |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}{{cite web |title=Global Christian organization demands explanation from IOC for Last Supper parody |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/global-christian-organization-demands-explanation-from-ioc-for-last-supper-parody/3289922 |publisher=Anadolu Agency |access-date=31 July 2024 |date=30 July 2024}} Festivité was also criticised by the Muslim institution Al-Azhar Al-Sharif for depicting Jesus in an "offensive manner".{{Cite web |last=Khazen |first=Ibrahim |date=July 28, 2024 |title=Egypt's Al-Azhar condemns 'insulting scenes' of Jesus Christ at Paris Olympics |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/egypt-s-al-azhar-condemns-insulting-scenes-of-jesus-christ-at-paris-olympics/3287859 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Anadolu Agency}} Secular criticism of the segment also came from conservative figures,{{Cite web |date=2024-07-29 |title=Olympic opening ceremony drag performance resembling Last Supper rankles conservatives |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/drag-performance-resembling-last-supper-olympics-opening-ceremony-rcna163927 |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=NBC News |language=en}} including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,{{Cite web |date=July 30, 2024 |title=Turkey's Erdogan calls Olympics opening ceremony an attack on sacred values |url=https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/turkeys-erdogan-calls-olympics-opening-ceremony-an-attack-sacred-values-2024-07-30/ |access-date=July 30, 2024 |website=Reuters}} opposition United States presidential candidate Donald Trump,{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=30 July 2024 |title=Donald Trump Calls Olympics Opening Ceremony a 'Disgrace' for Mocking 'Last Supper,' Even Though Organizers Said the Tableau Was a Nod to Dionysus |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/donald-trump-olympics-disgrace-last-supper-tableau-opening-ceremony-1236090042/ |website=Variety}} and Slovak deputy prime minister Tomáš Taraba, the last of whom described the ceremony as "deviant decadence".{{Cite web |date=2024-07-31 |title=Slovak Olympic team rep boycotts closing ceremony over 'deviant decadence' |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/slovak-olympic-team-rep-boycotts-closing-ceremony-over-deviant-decadence/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}} Far-left French opposition figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon joined the criticism of the sequence.{{cite web |date=2024-07-28 |title=French opposition leader criticizes 'mockery of Christian Last Supper' at Paris Olympics |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/french-opposition-leader-criticizes-mockery-of-christian-last-supper-at-paris-olympics/3287729 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Anadolu Agency}}

In contrast, the scene received praise from others for "celebrating queer visibility and LGBTQ+ inclusivity", according to American magazine Cosmopolitan.{{Cite web |date=29 July 2024 |title=Here's the Latest on "The Last Supper" Controversy at the 2024 Olympics |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a61728017/last-supper-drag-controversy-2024-paris-olympics/ |access-date=4 August 2024 |website=Cosmopolitan |language=en-US |archive-date=5 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805005935/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a61728017/last-supper-drag-controversy-2024-paris-olympics/ |url-status=live }} Among those who expressed appreciation for the segment were American actress Jodie Sweetin, as well as Le Filip, a Croatian-French drag queen who won the third season of Drag Race France.{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Carly |date=28 July 2024 |title=Olympics Drag Performance Seemingly Resembling 'Last Supper' Draws Backlash From Conservative Leaders |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/olympics-drag-performance-last-supper-backlash-conservatives-1235960103/ |access-date=3 August 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=5 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805005934/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/olympics-drag-performance-last-supper-backlash-conservatives-1235960103/ |url-status=live}}

In response to the criticism, the Paris 2024 producers stated that director Thomas Jolly "took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting to create the setting", and cited that the painting had already been frequently parodied in popular culture. However, the next day Jolly denied having been inspired by The Last Supper on BFM TV.{{Cite web |last=Brossier |first=Aurélien |date=2024-07-28 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO: Thomas Jolly et Daphné Bürki répondent aux critiques de Jean-Luc Mélenchon |trans-title=Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: Thomas Jolly and Daphné Bürki Respond to Jean-Luc Mélenchon's Criticism |url=https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-thomas-jolly-et-daphne-burki-repondent-aux-critiques-de-jean-luc-melenchon_AV-202407280144.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240728150223/https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-thomas-jolly-et-daphne-burki-repondent-aux-critiques-de-jean-luc-melenchon_AV-202407280144.html |archive-date=2024-07-28 |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=BFMTV |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=28 July 2024 |title=Paris Olympic opening creator defiant, denies Last Supper reference |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/olympic-games/20240728-paris-olympic-opening-creator-defiant-over-controversial-show |website=Radio France Internationale}} On 28 July, organizers issued an apology for the performance, stating that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group".{{Cite news |last=Bolton |first=Will |date=2024-07-28 |title=Olympic bosses apologise for 'sleazy' drag queen Last Supper parody |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/28/olympic-bosses-apologise-sleazy-drag-queen-last-supper/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} One of the participants in the scene, Barbara Butch, filed a legal complaint after what she described as "an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation" directed toward her after the ceremony.{{Cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=2024-07-30 |title=Olympic 'drag queen scene' DJ files legal complaint after torrent of online abuse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/30/olympic-last-supper-dj-files-legal-complaint-after-torrent-of-online-abuse |access-date=2024-07-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |date=29 July 2024 |title=JO de Paris 2024 : l'activiste Barbara Butch dépose plainte pour cyberharcèlement après la cérémonie d'ouverture |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/ceremonies-d-ouverture-et-de-cloture/jo-de-paris-2024-l-activiste-barbara-butch-depose-plainte-pour-cyberharcelement-apres-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture_6694380.html |website=Franceinfo}} Complaints have also been filed by Jolly,{{Cite web |date=2 August 2024 |title=Police investigating hate speech targeting Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly |url=https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-thomas-jolly-96a229df81d3e7d6c53f6d5431d4fd69 |website=AP News}} Nicky Doll,{{Cite web |date=2 August 2024 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris 2024 : la présentatrice drag-queen Nicky Doll dépose plainte pour diffamation après des messages haineux |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/paris-2024/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-2024-la-presentatrice-drag-queen-nicky-doll-depose-plainte-pour-diffamation-apres-des-messages-haineux_6702570.html |website=Franceinfo |language=fr}} the choreographer,{{Cite web|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/jo-paris-2024-la-choregraphe-de-la-ceremonie-douverture-maud-le-pladec-a-depose-plainte-pour-cyberharcelement-08-08-2024-ZASTC65WMJEATDXPATZYBFTURM.php|title=JO Paris 2024 : la chorégraphe de la cérémonie d'ouverture, Maud Le Pladec, a déposé plainte pour « cyberharcèlement »|first=Par Manon Aublanc et Jean-Michel Décugis Le 8 août 2024|last=à 11h59|date=8 August 2024|website=leparisien.fr}} the producers,{{Cite web|url=https://www.lesoir.be/614101/article/2024-08-04/ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-les-producteurs-portent-plainte-pour-menaces-de-mort|title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO : les producteurs portent plainte pour menaces de mort|date=4 August 2024|website=Le Soir}} and the organizers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/ceremonies-d-ouverture-et-de-cloture/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris-une-enquete-a-ete-ouverte-sur-des-menaces-de-mort-visant-les-organisateurs-annonce-le-parquet_6706230.html|title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO de Paris : une enquête ouverte sur des menaces de mort visant les organisateurs, annonce le parquet|date=4 August 2024|website=Franceinfo}} French president Macron condemned the harassment;{{Cite web |date=2 August 2024 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO : Emmanuel Macron " scandalisé " par le harcèlement subi par Thomas Jolly |url=https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1489363/article/2024-08-02/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-emmanuel-macron-scandalise-par-le-harcelement-subi |website=La Voix du Nord}} he also defended the ceremony as a whole, stating that it had "made our compatriots extremely proud."

The Olympic World Library later published the media guide (written before the ceremony) which mentioned it being a homage to cultural festivities.{{cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title=Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Media Guide |url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/3415954/opening-ceremony-of-the-paris-2024-olympic-games-media-guide-26-07-24-19-30-paris-2024-organising-co |website=Olympic World Library |publisher=Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games}} According to Georgian fact checking website, Myth Detector, many experts had pointed out the differences between the fresco and the segment.{{cite web |title=THE LAST SUPPER OR GREEK MYTHOLOGY – WHAT DOES THE SCENE AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS DEPICT AND WHY DID THE ORGANIZERS APOLOGIZE? |date=29 July 2024 |url=https://mythdetector.ge/en/the-last-supper-or-greek-mythology/ |publisher=Myth Detector |access-date=29 July 2024}}

The Liberté section included a portrayal of Marie Antoinette, in which the queen was shown holding her own severed head in reference to her execution by guillotine in 1793 during the French Revolution; the sequence was also held in the Conciergerie, where she was imprisoned, tried and sentenced. The segment was criticized for its grotesque nature and for glorifying violence in the Reign of Terror.{{Cite web |last=Sdiri |first=Noah |date=2024-07-27 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO : la représentation de Marie-Antoinette décapitée fait polémique |url=https://www.lejdd.fr/culture/ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-la-representation-de-marie-antoinette-decapitee-fait-polemique-147938 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Le Journal du Dimanche |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Chavanette |first=Loris |date=2024-07-29 |title="Avec l'image de Marie-Antoinette décapitée, la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO a réduit la Révolution à la Terreur" |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/histoire/avec-l-image-de-marie-antoinette-decapitee-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-a-reduit-la-revolution-a-la-terreur-20240729 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}{{Cite news |last=Cluzel |first=Gabrielle |date=2024-07-29 |title=Pardon, Marie-Antoinette !... |url=https://www.bvoltaire.fr/pardon-marie-antoinette/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Boulevard Voltaire |language=fr-FR}} Critics included French right-wing figures, including {{ill|Jean-Christophe Buisson|fr|vertical-align=sup}}, a biographer of Marie Antoinette;{{Cite web |date=July 26, 2024 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture : Colère et incompréhension de personnalités après une séquence où Marie-Antoinette décapitée chante "Ah ! Ca ira": "Qui a pu penser que c'était une bonne idée ?" - Regardez |url=https://www.jeanmarcmorandini.com/article-578720-ceremonie-d-ouverture-colere-et-incomprehension-de-personnalites-apres-une-sequence-ou-marie-antoinette-decapitee-chante-ah-ca-ira-qui-a-pu-penser-que-c-etait-une-bonne-idee-regardez.html |website=Jean-Marc Morandini}} French monarchists;{{Cite web |last=Fontaine |first=Nicolas |date=2024-07-28 |title=Le prince Charles-Philippe " pleure de honte pour la France " et condamne la cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux olympiques |url=https://histoiresroyales.fr/prince-charles-philippe-pleure-honte-france-condamne-ceremonie-douverture-jeux-olympiques/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Histoires Royales |language=fr-FR}} members of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, to which Marie Antoinette belonged; members of the House of Bourbon, into which she married;{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-07-26 |title=JO de Paris et terreur en marche, par Antoine Michel |url=https://www.vexilla-galliae.fr/actualites/jo-de-paris-et-terreur-en-marche-par-antoine-michel/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Vexilla Galliae |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |last=Adamson |first=Thomas |date=July 27, 2024 |title=Drag queens shine at Olympics opening, but 'Last Supper' tableau draws criticism |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/drag-queens-shine-olympics-opening-supper-tableau-draws-112332625 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=ABC News |language=en |agency=Associated Press}} and even far-left French opposition figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon.{{Cite web|url=https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/jo-2024-melenchon-salue-l-audace-de-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-mais-n-a-pas-aime-les-tableaux-sur-la-cene-et-marie-antoinette_AN-202407270395.html|date=27 July 2024|title=JO 2024: Mélenchon salue "l'audace" de la cérémonie d'ouverture mais "n'a pas aimé" les tableaux sur la Cène et Marie-Antoinette|website=RMC Sport |first=François |last=Blanchard}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/franchement-choquant-jean-luc-melenchon-crispe-la-gauche-apres-ses-propos-sur-la-ceremonie-douverture-des-jo_548915|title="Franchement choquant" : Jean-Luc Mélenchon crispe la gauche après ses propos sur la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO - Gala|first=Prisma|last=Média|date=1 August 2024|website=Gala.fr}}{{Cite web|first=Par Talia |last=Soghomonian|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/pop-culture/gojira-aux-jo-de-paris-2024-cette-polemique-nous-amuse-beaucoup-30-07-2024-2566796_2920.php|title=Gojira aux JO : " Cette polémique nous amuse beaucoup "|date=30 July 2024|website=Le Point}} The segment was contrasted with the London 2012 opening ceremony, in which the inclusion of Queen Elizabeth II was perceived to be an "homage" to the British monarchy.{{Cite web |last=Leicester |first=John |date=2024-07-27 |title=Paris' Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here's why |url=https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-audacious-analysis-49f9885ff2b95b9b7ccc51ca195e84e1 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Sugy |first=Paul |date=2024-07-26 |title=JO Paris 2024 : une Marie-Antoinette décapitée chantant «ça ira» divise les internautes |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/jo-paris-2024-une-marie-antoinette-decapitee-chantant-ca-ira-divise-les-internautes-20240726 |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}

Thomas Jolly, the director of the ceremony, stated that there was no "glorification of this instrument of death that was the guillotine" and that "If we use our work to regenerate [...] division, hatred [...] and it continues to progress, when I believe we have made some peace [...], then that would be great pity."{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2024 |title=Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO 2024 : "Dérision et moquerie du christianisme..." Le directeur artistique du show dément s'être inspiré de la Cène |url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/07/28/ceremonie-douverture-des-jo-2024-derision-et-moquerie-du-christianisme-le-directeur-artistique-du-show-dement-setre-inspire-de-la-cene-12108476.php |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=La Dépêche |language=fr}}

The presence of singer Aya Nakamura at the ceremony was criticized. Nakamura had faced racial abuse in the lead up to the event, such as the far-right group Les Natifs displaying a banner "There's no way Aya. This is Paris, not the Bamako market" on the basis of her roots in Mali.{{cite web |last1=Betancourt |first1=Bianca |title=Aya Nakamura Proves Why She's France's Biggest Star at the 2024 Paris Opening Ceremony |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a61701969/aya-nakamura-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-2024/ |publisher=Harpers Bazaar |access-date=29 July 2024 |date=26 July 2024}}{{cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=L'extrême droite est bien la seule à ne pas apprécier la cérémonie d'ouverture des JO |trans-title=Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: The Far Right Is the Only One Not Enjoying the Spectacle |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/politique/article/ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-l-extreme-droite-est-bien-la-seule-a-ne-pas-apprecier-le-spectacle_237509.html |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=Le HuffPost |language=fr}} According to an {{ill|Odoxa|fr}} poll prior to the event, 63% of French people disapproved of Nakamura performing at the Olympics.{{Cite web |last=Fourny |first=Marc |date=12 March 2024 |title=Aya Nakamura pour chanter aux JO : ce qu'en pensent les Français |trans-title=Aya Nakamura to sing at the Olympics: what the French think |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/people/aya-nakamura-pour-chanter-aux-jo-ce-qu-en-pensent-les-francais-12-03-2024-2554806_2116.php |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=Le Point |language=fr-FR}}

During the parade of nations, the South Korean delegation was incorrectly addressed by the French and English announcers as {{Lang|fr|République populaire démocratique de Corée}} and Democratic People's Republic of Korea{{snd}}the official designation for North Korea{{snd}}rather than {{Lang|fr|République de Corée}} and Republic of Korea.{{cite news|last=Yoo |first=Jee-ho|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240727000352315|title=(2nd LD) (Olympics) 'Games Wide Open': 33rd Summer Olympic Games kick off in Paris|work=Yonhap News Agency|date=2024-07-27|quote=As the boat carrying the delegation came into view, the French-speaking announcer said, "Republique populaire democratique de Coree," and the English-speaking announcer followed with "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the official designation of North Korea.|access-date=2024-07-27}}{{cite news|url=https://sports.chosun.com/sports-news/2024-07-27/202407270100203040029209|title="대한민국이 북조선인민공화국(DPRK)이라고?" 초황당 파리올림픽 개회식→문체부X체육회 적극 대응[파리live]|work=Sports Chosun|date=2024-07-27|first=Yeong-ji|last=Jeon|language=ko|quote=대한민국을 DPRK로 소개한 장내 아나운서의 치명적인 실수에 새벽 TV로 개회식을 지켜보던 국민들이 경악했다. 남성 아나운서가 한국을 프랑스어로 'Republique populaire democratique de coree'로 소개한 후 여성 아나운서가 영어로 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea'라고 반복해 소개했다.|access-date=2024-07-27}} The International Olympic Committee posted an apology on their official website.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-07-27 |title=IOC statement on wrong identification of the team of the Republic of Korea NOC during the Opening Ceremony |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-statement-on-wrong-identification-of-the-team-of-the-republic-of-korea-noc-during-the-opening-ceremony |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Olympics.com |publisher=International Olympic Committee }}

Jang Mi-ran, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that it would submit an official protest over the accident, and that it had "asked the foreign ministry to lodge a strong complaint with France on a government level", asked the IOC to arrange a meeting with President Bach regarding this incident, and asked the Paris organizing committee to ensure that this would not reoccur.{{Cite news |last=Yoo |first=Jee-ho |date=July 27, 2024 |title=(Olympics) S. Korea demands meeting with IOC chief over opening ceremony gaffe |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240727001000315 |work=Yonhap News Agency}}

• 2024 Summer Olympics
• 2024 France railway arson attacks
• Concerns and controversies at the 2024 Summer Olympics
• 2009 East Asian Games opening ceremony, held on a floating stage set up at Victoria Harbour
• 2010 Asian Games opening ceremony, held on Haixinsha Island at Guangzhou

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-general-secretary-letter-to-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-french-olympic-committee WCC general secretary letter to the International Olympic Committee and the French Olympic Committee] - World Council of Churches

{{Olympic Games opening ceremonies}}

{{Portal bar|France|Olympic Games}}

Opening ceremony

Category:Ceremonies in France

Category:2024 controversies

Category:July 2024 in France

Category:LGBTQ-related controversies in television

Category:Olympics opening ceremonies

Category:Olympic Games controversies

Category:Christianity-related controversies in television

Category:Race-related controversies in television

Category:Television controversies in France

Category:Drag (entertainment)-related mass media

Category:Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette

Category:Dionysus in art

Category:Classical mythology in popular culture

Category:Apollo in art

Category:Lady Gaga

Category:Celine Dion

Category:Grammy Award winners

Metal Performance