Paris Olympics 2024 LIVE updates: Opening ceremony brings Games to life along the Seine

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Bonjour!

Thanks for joining us in the wee hours as we take you through the opening ceremony for Paris 2024. My name is Chris Paine and I’ll be bringing you live updates from Paris, along with our intrepid team on the ground.

Here’s what you should know.

  • The ceremony kicks off at 3.30am (AEST). We know it’s early, but grab a coffee and stick with us as we bring you all the colour, pomp and star power along the banks of the Seine. Proceedings will run for nearly four hours.
  • A flotilla of about 94 boats will form the centrepiece of the event. There are 206 countries represented by more than 10,000 athletes (though not all of them will attend – remember, they have big events to prepare for).
  • The flotilla will begin at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes, and travel six kilometres up the Seine, and finish up at the Trocadero, just across from the Eiffel Tower.
Spectators gather in Paris prior to the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Spectators gather in Paris prior to the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Credit: nna\KCampbell

  • Rob Harris and Chloe Saltau have the joyous task of pressing the flesh with around 300,000 spectators (and plenty more police) and filing live updates on the ground.
  • Australia’s boat will be third last in the flotilla. That’s because we’re a future host country (Brisbane 2032), meaning we’re just ahead of Team USA (Los Angeles 2028) and of course our wonderful hosts France.
  • Flag-bearers Eddie Ockenden and Jessica Fox will lead around 80 Australian athletes who have chosen to take part. Many of the 460-member team will opt for an early night ahead of the first day of competition.
  • Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are in town. Will they perform? Possibly a grand finale? Details are tight-lipped, but we sure hope so.

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Yes, that’s a Snoop Dogg pun.

That’s because in the collaboration we didn’t realise we needed, Snoop Dogg is at the Olympic Games.

The ‘Beautiful’ rapper was one of the final torch-bearers in the Olympic relay (because of course he was), and now he’s brought his special brand of hip hop to the Seine as part of NBC’s coverage.

If the torch is gonna come at you, carry it like it’s hot.

If the torch is gonna come at you, carry it like it’s hot.Credit: AP

Mr Dogg isn’t the first hip hop star to carry the torch. Sean Combs did so in 2004, while Dizzee Rascal and will.i.am were involved prior to London 2012.

The official Olympics website didn’t miss a trick in capitalizing on the publicity, inserting “fo shizzle my nizzle” in a headline on Friday. We bet that trafficked like a G Thang.

Every Medal, Every Moment of the Olympic Games

Stream live & free on 9Now

There’s none of this venues-on-the-outskirts-of-town business for Paris 2024.

Organisers have brilliantly made the city’s iconic landmarks and beautiful architecture one of the central characters of these Olympics. The atmosphere is incredible.

We have skaters at Place de la Concorde, archers in the foreground of the Hotel des Invalides, and of course beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Here are some pictures taken in Paris by the great Eddie Jim:

A beach in front of the Eiffel Tower. What’s not to like?

A beach in front of the Eiffel Tower. What’s not to like?Credit: Eddie Jim

Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell in Paris.

Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell in Paris.Credit: Eddie Jim

Olympic archery is being staged in one of the standout venues for Paris 2024 – the historic Hotel des Invalides, near the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais (pictured in background).

Olympic archery is being staged in one of the standout venues for Paris 2024 – the historic Hotel des Invalides, near the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais (pictured in background).Credit: Eddie Jim

Some fun facts for the morning ahead.

Bonjour!

Thanks for joining us in the wee hours as we take you through the opening ceremony for Paris 2024. My name is Chris Paine and I’ll be bringing you live updates from Paris, along with our intrepid team on the ground.

Here’s what you should know.

  • The ceremony kicks off at 3.30am (AEST). We know it’s early, but grab a coffee and stick with us as we bring you all the colour, pomp and star power along the banks of the Seine. Proceedings will run for nearly four hours.
  • A flotilla of about 94 boats will form the centrepiece of the event. There are 206 countries represented by more than 10,000 athletes (though not all of them will attend – remember, they have big events to prepare for).
  • The flotilla will begin at the Austerlitz Bridge next to the Jardin des Plantes, and travel six kilometres up the Seine, and finish up at the Trocadero, just across from the Eiffel Tower.
Spectators gather in Paris prior to the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Spectators gather in Paris prior to the opening ceremony. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)Credit: nna\KCampbell

  • Rob Harris and Chloe Saltau have the joyous task of pressing the flesh with around 300,000 spectators (and plenty more police) and filing live updates on the ground.
  • Australia’s boat will be third last in the flotilla. That’s because we’re a future host country (Brisbane 2032), meaning we’re just ahead of Team USA (Los Angeles 2028) and of course our wonderful hosts France.
  • Flag-bearers Eddie Ockenden and Jessica Fox will lead around 80 Australian athletes who have chosen to take part. Many of the 460-member team will opt for an early night ahead of the first day of competition.
  • Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are in town. Will they perform? Possibly a grand finale? Details are tight-lipped, but we sure hope so.