World leaders expressed their appreciation for the hours-long ceremony held on the river Seine, but reviews elsewhere were more critical.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games kicked off with an opening ceremony held on the river Seine in Paris that featured mechanical horses, Lady Gaga and Marie Antoinette.
TV viewers were treated to a spectacle where the Seine functioned as a huge stage, with performances held on bridges and rooftops.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X that the event celebrated “global cooperation, solidarity, fairness and athletic perseverance”.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the ceremony was “unique” before wishing the German Olympic team good luck in their upcoming games.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, praised Canadian singer Celine Dion’s performance, calling it one “we’ll never forget”.
Mixed reviews
Elsewhere, reviews of the ceremony were not as glowing. Multiple social media users called the ceremony “bizarre” and criticised the decision to hold the ceremony on the river Seine instead of in a stadium, where it is traditionally held.
One of the reviews of the ceremony from UK newspaper The Guardian called its delivery “patchy” and pointed that the rain, which continued through multiple performances, posed a distraction.
American newspaper the New York Times summarised the show in a headline stating “Opening Ceremony Misses the Boat”.
In France itself French daily Le Monde said that the shows director Thomas Jolly had presented “an immersive show in a capital transformed into a gigantic stage”.
Right-leaning Le Figaro was less complimentary, saying that some of the show was “just too much” and said a recreation of The Last Supper of Jesus and his apostles in front of a fashion show was “unnecessarily provocative”.
