The 2024 Paris Olympics have begun with a unique and star-studded opening ceremony down the River Seine, as French authorities continue to deal with suspected acts of sabotage on the country’s high-speed rail network, APA reports citing New York Times.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games the opening ceremony took place outside of a stadium, with the 205 delegations traveling down the Seine on 85 barges, watched on by a crowd of over 300,000 spectators.
The ceremony started with a short film featuring the soccer icon Zinedine Zidane, with the first musical interlude featuring the popstar Lady Gaga singing entirely in French.
But with the ceremony in progress, authorities continued to deal with a series of fires on high-speed rail lines this morning. The state-owned railway operator SNCF said timetables would be severely impacted all weekend and has urged all travelers to postpone their journeys.