Welcome to Saturday’s coverage of the 2024 Olympics, which officially kicked off in Paris on Friday night with a glitzy opening ceremony.
In case you missed it, here are some key takeaways from the show.
PARIS SHOW OFF: The opportunity to fully showcase the City of Light, its culture and its people was well taken advantage of on Friday. Riverboats on the Seine, with the Eiffel Tower adorned with the Olympic rings as a backdrop, made for an incredible Parisian scene as they passed famous landmarks on their way to the end of the Parade of Nations at the Trocadero. The famous landmarks were lit up in all their glory, veritable beacons on an otherwise dreary night.
This served as a strong preview of what the rest of the Games will be like, as the Olympics will use some of the city’s most iconic landmarks as the backdrop for the competition.
Rain threatened to steal the show as grey skies opened up over Paris about 30 minutes into the three-and-a-half-hour show.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators, wearing ponchos and rain jackets, lined the banks of the Seine, and umbrellas were quickly brought out as the rain began to fall. But about an hour after the rain started to fall in earnest, some drenched spectators fled to nearby tents or sheltered areas. Cameras showed the crowds along the river thinning out at times.
But the Olympic spirit was not dampened by the rain: the athletes were waving excitedly to the spectators and France seemed to embrace the Olympics wholeheartedly.
Celine Dion Returns: After a dazzling light show at the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic singers of the past decades returns to perform for the first time in four years. Celine Dion has been battling stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.

Her performance of “Amour Vous” was a stunning way to end the ceremony. Dressed in a stunning white outfit, Dion’s performance was reminiscent of her past and gave us goosebumps, as her beautiful voice echoed across the Seine.
Friday night party in Paris: A long dance break midway through the show encapsulated the atmosphere for much of the show, as party time kicked off in the French capital.
Techno and Europop music was playing and colorful dancers in all sorts of rave outfits were dancing, including a singer painted all blue and singing from a flower bed.
The opening ceremony featured performances by heavy metal band Gojira, French mezzo-soprano opera singer Axelle Saint-Cyril, and Lady Gaga, who performed a groundbreaking rendition of famous French artist Zizy Jeanmaire’s song “Mon truc en plumes.”
The spectacular lighting of the torch: Carried by many French athletes and famous Olympians past and present, including Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal (who carried the torch in a boat down the Seine), Serena Williams (who rode next to Nadal), Carl Lewis and Tony Parker, the torch was lit by judo star Teddy Riner and 400m sprinter Marie-Josée Pérec.
And as the Olympic flame was lit in a cauldron attached to a giant balloon, it began to float away.
