The 2024 Paris Olympics are officially under way after the eagerly anticipated opening ceremony along the River Seine took place in the torrential Paris rain.

It promised to be an inspired decision – moving away from the usual Stadium event – but in truth it left a lot of people somewhat bewildered, as a flotilla of athletes were ferried down the river, many wearing ponchos to protect them from the awful weather, whilst different acts in some very puzzling costumes, danced and performed on bridges and rooftops.

To be fair there were several highlights too, not least the hugely impressive Olympic cauldron which was lit inside a hot air balloon and then raised 30 metres into the air, to be seen right across the city.

Now the Games can finally begin!  

All a bit messy

It always sounded unconventional and especially after the artistic director behind it, Thomas Jolly, announced that it had not been fully rehearsed in advance.

Nevertheless, it all looked a little clumsy, as country-by-country waved their flags from various sized boats, some with as many as 5 teams aboard and others with a vessel to themselves.

It all looked thrown together as they made their way along the 6km (3.7 mile) route.

Tough act to follow

The near faultless execution of the opening of the Tokyo Games was always going to be a tough act to follow, but whilst full marks for creativity can be given, the lack of structure and cohesion made the ceremony a difficult watch at times.

The faceless and hooded torch-bearer who followed the parade sprinting across rooftops and zip-lining between buildings was certainly imaginative, but for a city known for taste and class, it just seemed out of place.

Over the top light show

 Once the athletes reached their final destination at the Trocadero – where temporary stands have been erected  – and took their seats (still in the driving rain) the event did improve, although the silver-clad figure arriving on horseback, followed by light frenzy of lasers shooting out from the Eiffel Tower, again seemed an unnecessary addition.

Excellent finale

The man behind it, Thomas Jolly, had warned prior to the ceremony: “Despite all our preparations, we must remember that, in order to maintain its confidentiality, it will never be fully rehearsed and the goal is for everyone to discover the spectacle simultaneously.”

To give credit where it is due, he had saved the best until last, with a simply spectacular lighting of the Olympic flame. A Cauldron had been set up in the Jardin des Tuileries, aligned with the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées, and the Arc de Triomphe.

It had a ring of flames spanning seven metres in diameter and this was attached to a hot air balloon. Once lit it looked incredible and then when it lifted 30 metres into the air it made for a quite magnificent spectacle, as it illuminated the Paris sky.

New Sports for 2024

Now of course the serious action begins and the world can look forward to 16 days of sport of the highest quality. What seems to happen at every Games is new sports are introduced, and here breakdancing, kiteboarding and kayak cross fall into that category.

Dancing to a medal

Breaking – possibly better known as breakdancing – is a style of dance that originated in the Bronx in the 1970’s. Athletes will face off in solo dance battles during both the men’s and women’s competition, with a round robin followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal battles.

Each battle features a best-of-three contest of approximately one minute. A panel of nine judges give their scores on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality and the athletes will have to adjust their moves and style based on the music the DJ plays. It promises to be a hit!

Wind of change

Although sailing has been an Olympic sport for over 100 years, Kiteboarding is new to the Games. It involves competitors being propelled by the wind blowing against their kites as they hold onto a handle while manoeuvring courses in a racing format, on a board that looks like a wakeboard.

This could be one for the connoisseurs.

Organised chaos

Kayak Cross will see athletes compete not only against the clock, but also with each other. It’s a gruelling kayak race that involves full contact as competitors battle it out amidst multiple downstream and upstream gates.

Competitors also need to complete one 360-degree roll where their heads go underwater. It gives the appearance of frantic disorder, but it makes for high-octane action and looks certain to be a major success amongst competitors and audience alike.

Waving goodbye to Paris in search of a medal

Three additional sports – skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing – were also originally set to make their Olympic debuts at the Paris Games, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the 2020 competition by a year, those events were introduced at Tokyo instead.

Whilst every effort has been made to stage the majority of events in and around Paris, the last of those three sports is one which would have been impossible; however, to move it 14,500 km (9,000 miles) away does seem a bit extreme.

That though is where the 2024 Olympic surfing is taking place, as competitors gather at Teahupo’o, located on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.

The River Seine was certainly choppy for the opening ceremony parade, but not quite sufficient for the high-quality waves required for this spectacular event!