France relieved after super success - Paris dazzles with a rainy Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River


A balloon carrying the lit Olympic cauldron lifts off during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2024. - AFP

PARIS (AP): A hot-air balloon brought an Olympic ring of fire into a rainy sky and singer Celine Dion belted from the Eiffel Tower as Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century Friday, with a four-hour-long, rule-breaking opening ceremony that unfurled along the Seine River.

On-and-off showers did not seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river in a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France's high-speed rail network.

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