PARIS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Games are about sport, and they are about more than sport. "Sport is health. Sport is inclusion. Sport is respect. Sport is empowerment. Sport is solidarity. Sport is peace," IOC President Thomas Bach commented two days before Friday's opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games.
An ambitious ceremony on a scale never tried before, presenting numerous logistical and security challenges, with vast areas of central Paris virtually off limits ahead of the first Olympic opening ceremony not held in a stadium.
85 boats cruising six kilometers down the River Seine, carrying over 6,500 athletes, artists and dignitaries, starting at Austerlitz Bridge and sailing downstream, past iconic Parisian sites, such as Notre Dame and Pont Neuf before ending their voyage at Trocadero, under the shadow of the most iconic Parisian landmark of all - the Eiffel Tower.
"The world has come here to see Paris and we will give them Paris straight away in this opening ceremony," commented Tony Estanguet, the former canoeist behind Paris' successful bid.
Meanwhile, organizers announced that "Through this opening ceremony, Paris 2024 is issuing an invitation and a wish. An invitation to live together and a wish to come together in peace, respect and diversity."
Friday morning saw the peace disrupted as the French high-speed railway system suffered a coordinated effort of "malicious acts" aimed to disrupt the network just hours before the ceremony was due to start, and security was understandably tight.
Journalists reporting on the ceremony from Trocadero traveled in on buses that went through several police cordons and then needed three separate controls to enter the press area.
There is also something important to know about Paris that the French keep quiet: it is a northern European city and the weather isn't always dependable. No surprise, therefore, when a sudden downpour at around 5:30pm had reporters in the outdoor stands scrambling for cover and hurrying to cover their laptops with the plastic sheets provided by the organizers.
It could be the best of times, but if things went wrong, there was a risk it could also be among the worst of times, with an orange alert for heavy rainfall at 8pm keeping attention fixed on the skies almost as much as the river. But then the tricolor burst out above Austerlitz Bridge with a spectacular flash, Lady Gaga appeared smothered in feathers, the show began and everything else was forgotten.
