Rain could not drown out cheers at Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Crew South Korea, carrying rain coats, wave their flag from a ship in Paris, France, in the course of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer time Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photograph/Lee Jin-man, Pool)

PARIS — It’s raining more durable and more durable on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, and ponchos, umbrellas and tarps aren’t sufficient to to guard the more and more drenched — however largely enthusiastic — crowds watching the present on the banks of the uneven Seine River.

The skies have been grey with intermittent drizzle all through the afternoon. They cleared because the ceremony started, however rains picked up because the procession superior down the river.

The nationwide climate service Meteo France was predicting “flooding rains” later Friday night because the parade of boats carrying athletes continues alongside the Seine River. The ceremony was at all times deliberate to go forward — rain or not — beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and will final greater than three hours.

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There was a silver lining, although, with temperatures stayed comparatively heat.

Paris resident Sophie Peret referred to as the opening ceremony a “once-in-a-lifetime” expertise and got here ready for rain with a poncho and an umbrella.

“We all know Paris,” she stated with fun, including: “Even when it’s raining, we’re glad to be right here.”

The drizzle paused briefly at the beginning of the opening ceremony, however spectators alongside the river that runs by way of the guts of the town pulled out rain ponchos and umbrellas because it began up once more.

“Do you guys have ponchos to offer out?” one man requested an Olympic volunteer.

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The temper within the stands remained energetic and folks danced to music echoing over the river. However because the rain grew heavier, a small trickle of spectators with rain ponchos and umbrellas started to file out of the ceremony. The overwhelming majority of individuals proceed to courageous the rain. Others ducked beneath timber.

As a substitute of a conventional march right into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes paraded on greater than 90 boats on the Seine River for six kilometers (3.7 miles). Although 10,700 athletes are anticipated to compete at these Olympics, a whole bunch of soccer gamers are based mostly exterior Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and lots of have but to reach for his or her occasions within the second week, organizers stated Thursday.

Tons of of 1000’s of individuals, together with 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, have been anticipated to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded alongside the river on boats.