By Helen Reid, Benjamin Mallet and Sybille de La Hamaide
PARIS (Reuters) -Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song near Notre-Dame cathedral, a giant plume of blue, white and red smoke was sent high above a bridge over the Seine and a winged man played accordion as the Olympics’ opening ceremony got under way in Paris on Friday.
A fleet of barges started taking athletes on a 6 km-stretch of the river, by some of the French capital’s most famous landmarks, as Lady Gaga, surrounded by dancers, sang “Mon truc en plumes” (My thing made of feathers).
Huge applause rang out for the Greek boat – the first one, by tradition – and even bigger cheers erupted for the boat that followed, carrying a team made of refugees.
Water fountains threw up jets of water in the middle of the Seine as the boats went by, with athletes waving at the crowds, amid a huge visible police presence.
The ceremony comes just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France and put the spotlight on the security risks at a time when all eyes are on the country.
The show started by depicting a fictional scenario in which the arrival of the Olympic flame goes awry, ahead of the extravagant show on the river that will kick off the summer Games.
French soccer superstar Zinedine Zidane was shown running across Paris to bring the flame, in a pre-recorded video that included him taking it onto the metro.
Spectators were treated to postcard-like depictions of France and a huge cancan line performed by Moulin Rouge cabaret dancers on the banks.
“We are super excited, it happens once in a lifetime,” 17-year-old Elise Boukorrass said.
It had been raining on and off earlier in the evening in Paris and weather forecasters have predicted heavy showers, with one meteorologist even calling it a “disaster” for the open-air ceremony.
“The rain won’t stop me from cheering on the Olympics – sport is everything to me and I’d do whatever it takes to watch this,” said Flavia Merluzzi, 20, an architecture student.
Details have been kept secret, including who will be the last to carry the torch and light the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of the Games. The torchbearer – their face hidden and identity concealed – was shown jumping on the roofs of Paris.
Amid rumours that Canadian singer Celine Dion could also be part of the show, spectator Chantal Beauvais said it would be “magical” to watch her.
SECURITY OPERATION
It was the first time that an opening ceremony has taken place outside a stadium.
Some 45,000 police and thousands of soldiers have been deployed in a huge security operation in Paris for the opening show. Armed police patrolled along the river in inflatable boats as the armada made its passage along the Seine.
Since the last Games – the Winter Olympics held in Beijing in 2022 – wars have erupted in Ukraine and Gaza, providing a tense international backdrop. France is at its highest level of security, though officials have repeatedly said there is no specific threat to the opening ceremony or the Games.
Israeli competitors are being escorted by elite tactical units to and from events and given 24-hour protection throughout the Olympics due to the war in Gaza, officials say.
Scores of world leaders are in Paris for the opening ceremony, which will also be protected by snipers on rooftops. The Seine’s riverbed has been swept for bombs, and Paris’ airspace is closed.
For the Games more generally, radar-surveillance planes and Reaper drones will monitor sensitive sites from above, and Mirage 2000 fighter jets will be on standby to intercept aircraft straying into restricted airspace.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who won a second mandate two years ago, had hoped the Olympics would cement his legacy. But his failed bet on a snap legislative election has weakened him and cast a shadow over his moment on the international stage.
More than 10,500 athletes will compete at the Olympics, 100 years since Paris last staged the Games. Competition started on Wednesday and the first of the 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday. The closing ceremony will take place on Aug. 11.
(Writing by Ingrid Melander; Additional reporting by Kane Wu, Geert de Clercq, Julien Pretot, Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose, Louise Dalmasso, Juliette Jabkhiro, Zhifan Liu, Helen Reid, Richa Naidu and Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones and Alison Williams)
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