The Paris 2024 Summer Games opened with a rainy parade down the River Seine on Friday evening (July 26) before the Olympic cauldron was lit and suspended above the French capital from a hot air balloon, Reuters reports.
A fleet of barges took the competitors on a 6 km stretch of the river alongside some of Paris' most famous landmarks, as performers entertained spectators watching from the banks of the Seine.
Three-time French gold medallists Marie-Jose Perec (athletics) and Teddy Riner (judo) lit the cauldron and Canada's Celine Dion sang Edith Piaf's "Hymn to Love," -- her first public performance in years.
It was the first time that an opening ceremony had taken place outside a stadium, adding to the headaches for a vast security operation, just hours after a sabotage attack on the high-speed TGV rail network caused travel chaos across France.
Four athletes representing Armenia at the Paris 2024 Olympics are set to perform on July 27.Swimmer Varsenik Manucharyan will compete at the Women’s 100-meter Freestyle event at 13:00 (UTC +4).Shooter Elmira Karapetyan’s performance at the 10M Air Pistol Women’s Qualification is expected at 14:30. Meanwhile, gymnasts Artur Davtyan and Vahagn Davtyan will take the stage at the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Qualification at 17:30.Armenia is represented by 15 athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
