The biggest moment of the year in world sports has arrived. Three years of anticipation came to an end this evening (Friday) with the celebratory opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The ceremony kicks off the 33rd Olympic Games in modern times, with this being the third time the Games have been held in the French capital after 1900 and 1924.
Paris 2024 is making history as the first Summer Games to hold the opening ceremony outside the stadium, but in a boat parade on the Seine River that replaced the traditional route. The athletes from the 205 delegations will sail in ABC order, with Israel being the 90th delegation in line. The judoka Peter Palachik and the swimmer Andi Moraz are the bearers of the Israeli flag and the leaders of the delegation that includes 88 sportsmen and women.
The ceremony was attended by 120 heads of state and presidents hosted by President Emmanuel Macron. Among them are the President of the State of Israel Yitzhak Herzog and his wife Michal as well as the Minister of Sports Miki Zohar.
20:30: The ceremony began with a video clip starring Zinedine Zidane, one of the greatest athletes in the history of France. In the video, the former footballer ran with the Olympic torch in his hand to a metro station in Paris, where he passed the torch to the city’s children.
20:40: The boat parade of the delegations has started. According to the best tradition, the first country is Greece – the country where the ancient Olympics were held and where the first Olympic Games were held in modern times. Its banner bearer is NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. After Greece it was the turn of the refugee team.
20:48: A break in the flotilla for a show by the pop star Lady Gaga.
21:00: Now it’s the turn of an especially loaded boat, on which are the huge delegations of both Canada and China.
21:10: Michael Phelps, the American swimmer and the most medalist in the history of the Olympics, with an appearance as a guest of honor on one of the boats.
21:25: After Lady Gaga, this time the French singer Aya Nakamura appeared.
21:48: The moment a whole country was waiting for him, it was the turn of the boat with the Israeli delegation on it. The judoka Peter Palchik and the swimmer Andi Morz raised the Israeli flag in front of the whole world.
were we wrong We will fix it! If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
ظهرت في الأصل على www.israelhayom.co.il