The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 was a spectacular event that took place on the banks of the River Seine on Friday, July 26. For the first time in Olympic history, the ceremony was held outside the stadium, involving 85 boats carrying nearly 7,000 athletes from 205 countries along a 6-kilometre stretch of the River Seine. The ceremony also saw two unique figures – a masked torchbearer running across the rooftops and a caped rider carrying the Olympic flag on a metal horse across the River Seine.
Who were those two masked men?
A masked Amazon riding a motorized horse took part in the ceremony, galloping across the Seine River wearing a cape bearing the Olympic rings. She carried the Olympic flag from the Pont d’Iéna to the Place du Trocadero on a metal horse. As she passed under bridges, she fluttered dove feathers. The rider was Florian Issart, a non-commissioned officer in the Gendarmerie Nationale. Behind her, a group of Games volunteers walked carrying the national flag.
Ms Issert was not the only person who made an impact at the event. A mysterious torchbearer also made a splash by effortlessly passing buildings and monuments. Wearing a black cloak and mask, his identity was kept secret throughout the ceremony. At the end of the procession he met Zinedine Zidane, who handed the torch back to the French football legend and then disappeared into the night.
The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony began with a performance by Lady Gaga and paid tribute to French culture, history and sport. Athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) took part in the parade, which ran along the River Seine and passed iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and the Grand Palace.
In addition to Zidane, the Olympic torch was carried by French sports heroes Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec as well as Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal. The cauldron attached to a hot air balloon rose into the sky during a performance by Celine Dion. hymn of love From the balcony of the Eiffel Tower.
The ceremony was attended by 320,000 spectators on the banks of the River Seine and watched by millions more around the world.
