The Paris 2024 Olympic Games kicked off with an opening ceremony like no other, with athletes from over 200 countries boarding boats and sailing down the River Seine. The city of Paris itself provided a spectacular backdrop as each nation's athletes paraded around, with iconic landmarks featured throughout the show.
Now, on the East Coast, NBC will rebroadcast the Opening Ceremony in primetime. USA TODAY Sports will bring you live updates, highlights and more during the primetime rebroadcast of the Opening Ceremony. Tune in.
Team USA floats down the Seine
The US team of approximately 600 athletes will embark on a journey down the famous Seine River, passing the Trocadero, the Pont d'Austerlitz and many other culturally rich sites before arriving near the Eiffel Tower.
Axel Saint-Cyril sings the French national anthem
French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cyril, dressed in the colors of the French flag and holding a giant tricolor, gave a magnificent rendition of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise.”
2024 Olympic Medals: Who is leading the medal count? Let's track the medals in each sport to find out.
Saint-Cyril's voice was a marvel in itself, but her presence on the top floor of the Grand Palais, the towering exhibition hall and museum on the Champs-Élysées, added to the drama of the setting.
Minions try to get into the Olympics but fail
The Minions, the beloved characters from the Despicable Me franchise, livened up the Opening Ceremony with their hilarious attempt to get into the Olympics. The lesson? You can't throw the javelin in a submarine.
Why Minions? Illumination Studios Paris, the animation studio behind the mischievous yellow creatures, is headquartered just a few blocks from the Seine.
Olympic Surfing to be held in Tahiti
The footage of the opening ceremony switched completely from Paris to Tahiti, on the other side of the world.
Why? Because the surfing events at the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place thousands of miles away from Paris, and Tahiti (the main island of French Polynesia and a semi-autonomous region administered by France) offers a beautiful setting with just the right amount of big waves for the event.
Has Paris ever hosted the Olympics?
Paris has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1900 and 1924.
As a nation, France has hosted the Olympic Games six times (three summer and three winter). France will also host the 2030 Winter Olympics, with competition taking place across the French Alps.
Metal band “Godzilla” receives rave reviews
The fantastic musical portion of the opening ceremony continued with a Marie Antoinette-inspired performance by metal band Gojira.
As Olympic athletes passed by the Conciergerie on the Seine, Godzilla led the celebrations of the XXXIII Olympic Games in a unique setting. Following songs from the famous musical “Les Miserables,” Godzilla's segment featured a decapitated Marie Antoinette singing, along with intense guitar riffs, flame throwers, and fireworks.
Assassin's Creed mentioned during opening ceremony
There were numerous references during the opening ceremony to Assassin's Creed, one of the world's most successful video game franchises, which has sold more than 200 million copies since November 2007 and is developed by French publisher Ubisoft.
When will events resume?
The Paris Olympics will resume at 2:30 a.m. with the badminton mixed doubles, women's and men's singles and women's and men's doubles team events.
“Crazy idea”:How Paris secured the Olympic opening ceremony
Lady Gaga performs “Mon Truc En Plumes” at the Opening Ceremony
The Oscar and Grammy Award-winning musician performed signature songs by French musician Zizy Jeanmaire along the Seine River.
How many countries will participate in the Olympics?
A total of 206 countries will participate, including the Refugee Olympic Team.
What number of Olympics will the 2024 Games be?
The Paris Olympics are the 33rd of the modern Summer Olympic Games. 24 Winter Olympic Games have been held, most recently in Beijing in 2022, for a total of 55 Olympic Games.
Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson make Olympic debut
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson appeared alongside Olympic presenter Mike Tirico on NBC's Opening Ceremony coverage, and their debut was met with mixed reactions, including on social media.
“There is much to be desired”:Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson should have been benched as co-hosts of the Opening Ceremonies
Why is Greece number one in the Parade of Nations?
Greece, considered the birthplace of the Olympic Games, has led the Parade of Nations since 1928.
How many spectators will there be at the opening ceremony?
Olympic officials say 124 riverside stands will be able to accommodate 320,000 spectators.
When was Team USA's first event?
U.S. players have already begun competition, starting with a 12-12 rugby sevens draw with host France on Wednesday.
Team USA will resume action after the opening ceremony with badminton mixed doubles, with Americans Vinson Qiu and Jenny Gui taking on China's Feng Yangze and Huang Dongping at 2:30 a.m. ET.
How many boats will be at the Opening Ceremony?
The Paris Olympics will be the first Olympics to have an Opening Ceremony held outside a stadium, with thousands of athletes taking part in the ceremony aboard 85 boats.
Steven Spielberg launches primetime
The Oscar-winning director kicked off the broadcast with a montage of great moments and a tribute to host city Paris.
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in prime time
NBC will rebroadcast the opening ceremony in prime time on the East Coast starting at 7:30 p.m.
Paris 2024 Olympics: How to watch the Summer Olympics on TV and streaming
All events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be broadcast live on NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and the GOLF Channel, and in Spanish on Universo and Telemundo. All events will be streamed live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
date: July 24th – August 11th
tv set: The event will be broadcast on NBC, USA Network, E!, Telemundo, Universo, CNBC and the Golf Channel.
Streaming: Peacock, nbcolympics.com, fuboTV
How to watch:Catch up on all the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics with a Peacock subscription
Team USA flag bearer
Team USA has selected four-time Olympian LeBron James as the men's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony. James will be the first men's basketball player to serve as flag bearer and just the third player overall in basketball, joining women's basketball team members Sue Bird (2020) and Dawn Staley (2004).
Three years after missing the Tokyo Olympics because she tested positive for COVID-19, tennis star Coco Gauff served as the U.S. female flag bearer, the first tennis player to receive that honor.
Where will the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony take place?
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will take place along the Seine River in central Paris. Athletes from each country will parade down the river and stop at the Trocadero Palace to conclude the ceremony.
How long will the opening ceremony last?
The opening ceremony is scheduled to be broadcast for four hours, including live and prime-time coverage.
2024 Olympic Games Schedule
The 2024 Olympics will begin on July 24 and end with the Closing Ceremony on Aug. 11. Check out USA TODAY's Olympic schedule for daily event times and viewing options.
How many athletes will be participating in the Opening Ceremony?
An estimated 10,500 athletes will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but not all of them will take part in the parade. Paris Olympic officials estimate that 6,800 athletes will attend the ceremony.
The smallest countries to attend the opening ceremony
Tuvalu has the smallest estimated population in the Parade of Nations. The Polynesian island nation has an estimated population of 11,312 as of 2022 and has two athletes competing in the Paris Olympics: Kalalo Maibuka (100 metres) and Temarini Manatoa (100 metres).
The Pacific island nation of Nauru has one athlete, 100m sprinter Windsor Kakiwea, and is next with an estimated population of 12,668 as of 2022.
Monaco is the smallest country in terms of area (0.8 square miles) and will have six athletes competing in the Paris Olympics.
- Marie-Charlotte Gastaut, Women's 100 meters
- Marvin Gadot Men's Judo over 100kg
- Quentin Antonelli Men's Single Scull Boat
- Theo Drouenne, Men's 800m Freestyle
- Lisa Poe, Women's 10km Open Water Swimming
- Yang Xiaosong, Women's Singles Table Tennis
How many sports are there at the Paris Olympics?
This year's Summer Olympics will feature 339 events across 32 different sports. The U.S. team will compete in 31 of the 32 sports, but U.S. athletes will not compete in team handball.
Which country will have the most athletes competing in the Paris Olympics?
The United States has the most athletes participating in the tournament, with 592.
UN Parade Orders
Because the Parade of Nations is ordered alphabetically by the host country's language, some countries are ranked higher than expected – for example, Spain is earlier than expected because “Espagne” is French.
Future host nations will also be at the end of the Parade of Nations. Australia will host the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032, and the United States will host the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, so they will both be at the end of the parade ahead of this year's host, France.
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