change take
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony unfolded amid an unexpected downpour, adding an unexpected layer of drama. But this is just the beginning.
Andrea Doyle
Paris held its first-ever Olympic opening ceremony outside the stadium. Athletes paraded not on foot but in boats, waving flags from pontoons on the Seine.
The four-hour event, which featured more than 3,000 musical artists, dancers, actors and circus performers, was marred by persistent rain, which ranged from light showers to downpours. The harsh weather created some logistical problems.
Some floats encountered technical difficulties, causing temporary power outages and disruptions and leaving delicate costumes soaked.
Evan Babins, events manager at global fintech platform Intuit, pointed out that building protective structures along the river can mitigate the impact of rainfall on attendees.
“When they decided to hold the opening ceremony on the river, they should have considered the weather. A tent is a temporary structure that covers the camera so the audience doesn’t see the raindrops on the lens,” Babins said.
He added that more consideration should be given to this being a hybrid event. “They didn’t connect the live audience to the virtual audience,” Babins said.
several mistakes
Rain isn’t the only challenge.
One notable error was that South Korean athletes were incorrectly declared to represent the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or North Korea) instead of the Republic of Korea.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams acknowledged the error and said: “An operational error occurred. On a night full of changes, we can only apologize for making this mistake.
Another blunder at the opening ceremony was that the five-ring Olympic flag was hung upside down near the end of the ceremony.
Some people felt that the Olympic opening ceremony strayed from its “purpose.” “Is this ceremony meant to honor athletes? If you ask me, I’d say no, not at all. “The whole thing was designed for a TV audience, not a crowd on the street, so people didn’t stay long either. Not surprising. “
Emotional impact and Olympic controversy
The ceremony, curated by artistic director Thomas Jolly, stirred emotions, but not all of them positive.
A tableau depicting the Greek god Dionysus and an ancient festival honoring him has been criticized as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Drag artists and dancers appeared on the scene.
Jolly defended the scene. “The Last Supper was not the inspiration behind the scenes. Dionysus came to the table because he was the Greek god of celebration, and the sequence was called a “festival.”
Paris Olympic organizers apologized to those offended, but that wasn’t enough for some.
The French Bishops’ Conference, which represents the country’s Catholic bishops, said in a statement that the scene was “a mockery and mockery of Christianity.”
Telecommunications provider C Spire said it would withdraw all advertising from the Olympics because of the scene.
“In today’s polarized world, people are more discerning than ever before. Planning something of this scale is no easy task. I applaud the event planners for taking this risk.
The evening concluded with Celine Dion’s performance at the Eiffel Tower. She made her first public appearance since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in 2022.
Despite some confusion, Babins considered the ceremony a success. “I like that it’s not in an arena and I like the way it pays homage to Paris. I think it’s a great move to take the risk of doing it in a different way,” he said.
Many event planners will be watching the closing ceremony on August 11th. More than a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists will appear.
