2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Highlights: A grand extravaganza comes to an end, the Indian contingent gears up for Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony: A glistening opening ceremony comes to an end. The Indian contingent are led by Sharath Kamal & PV Sindhu and sign off at the Eiffel Tower. Follow 2024 Paris Olympics at Sportskeeda.

So, there we have it. The Olympic Games 2024 have officially been declared open in Paris. The opening ceremony was absolutely majestic, embodying the true spirit of the city and we can expect much of the same when the games begin tomorrow as well. It’s going to be 17 days of nonstop skill, thrill and will, as the athletes put everything on the line to emerge victorious and forever etch their name in history.

In the 32 sports that will be played, there’s going to be fierce competition, there’s no doubt about that. However, we will also see enough examples of athletes upholding the respect for the games, and more importantly, for each other. And that’s what sport is all about.

We at Sportskeeda will bring you all the major updates from the games with the key focus on the 117 Indian athletes that will give it their all in the next couple of weeks or so. Through the highs and the lows, the glory and the pain, we’ll keep you up to date with it all. For now, it’s time for us to bid adieu. This is Pratyush Rohra, signing off on behalf of my friends, Maanas Upadhyay and Sooryanarayanan Sesha. Merci beaucoup!

And now, the moment we've been waiting for - the President of the French Republic, Emanuel Macron, has been called to declare the Games open. And it's official - the 33rd Summer Olympic Games, Paris 2024 have been declared open!

The athletes take their oaths, followed by a special moment where Zidane is back carrying the torch. He hands it over to Rafael Nadal. The Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower light up and a light show follows.

The President of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, is now addressing the gathering. He is followed by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, as he goes on to address the public himself.

The Olympic flag is now brought up to the dais. And with the Olympic anthem being played in the background, the flag is being hoisted.

After a host of acts, a montage recapping previous Summer Olympics is being played out even as flags of all participant nations are assembled in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower. The five Olympic rings are visible in the middle of the tower too!

As mentioned earlier, there is no raining on this parade! The performances are coming in thick and fast, and the heavens opening up have only adding to the party atmosphere that has engulfed Paris at the moment. Say what you like, this has all the makings of an iconic opening ceremony that people will remember for a long long time.

The city of Paris is one picture. It's called the City of Lights and under the night sky, one can see the lights glittering all around the city as it marks the beginning of a riveting few days ahead of us. Such a unique setting and a unique concept for the opening ceremony - surely one that will be talk of for a long, long time to come!

The Prime Minister of India has a special message for the Indian Olympic contingent as they strive to achieve greatness and script their name in the history books forever. To know more details of this special message, you can have a look below 👇.

"May they all shine and embody the true spirit of sportsmanship" - PM Modi sends in wishes for Indian contingent as Paris 2024 Olympics begin

And last, but not the least, the loudest cheers await the hosts France. My goodness that is one huge boat carrying what we can imagine are a thousand athletes perhaps? Maybe a few more? But this is some sight under the night sky with their home fans cheering them on and spurring them towards great glory as Paris welcomes the Summer Olympics after a century. Three-time Olympic medalist Florent Manaudou is the flagbearer and the swimmer is set for his fourth and final appearance in the Summer Olympics this time around.

And here is the country with the most Olympic gold medals and the future hosts - the United States of America. LeBron James, the gold medalist with their infamous ‘Redeem Team’ in 2008 is their flag bearer, alongside tennis sensation Coco Gauff. That is a huge contingent and they'll be looking to add to their medal tally alright.

Vietnam and Yemen now enter with Zambia following them. The Zimbabweans are in town too following which a huge Australian contingent arrives. Canoeist Jessica Fox, who bagged silver in London 2012, and hockey midfielder Eddie Ockenden are the flagbearers for Australia.

Turkey, Turkmenistan and Ukraine are next. Uruguay - with raincoats again - are on the same boat as the Ukrainians. Vanuatu follow soon with Venezuela up next. Virgin Islands, US and Virgin Islands, British both mark their arrival.

United Republic of Tanzania arrive, as do Chad, Czechia and Thailand. Oh, you've got to love the patterns on the shirt of the Togo contingent - their hats go very well with it too. Tonga are also part of the Olympics - a six-member contingent is in presence for the opening ceremony with Trinidad and Tobago following them.

Slovakia and Slovenia are next - the second of those in party mode from the looks of it. They're having a ball alright. South Sudan announce their arrival, as do Sri Lanka, with the Swedish decked in bright orange-yellow raincoats. Following them are the Swiss contingent.

Senegal make their way next followed by Serbia. Novak Djokovic isn't the flag bearer for them but he might be there amongst the crowded group somewhere. Their flag bearer is Maja Ognjenović, the Serbian women's volleyball national team captain, who will play in her fifth edition of the Olympic Games.

Saint Kitts and Nevis are soon followed by another Caribbean island, Saint Lucia. San Marino then make their way before Saint Vincent and the Grenadines arrive - their contingent is dressed in a Calypso-style casual shirt with raincoats over them. Samoa and American Samoa are next, with Sao Tome and Principe following them.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea is next. Meanwhile, the fashion show continues in the background even as the contingents keep coming one after another. The Romanians are next with Rwanda right beside them on the same boat.

Puerto Rico are up next with Jose Alvarado as their flag bearer. The sneaky steal specialist in the NBA will be looking to make his mark on the big stage. The Portugese team with 73 athletes are drenched in their rain coats, with Qatar not too far behind as well.

In the midst of the on going fashion show, the focus is back on the athletes. Up next, it's Peru, Philippines and Poland. Two boxers, Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, are waving the Philippines flag.

Back to the contingents - New Zealand are next with two time Olympic medalist Jo Aleh as their flag bearer alongside track cyclist Aaron Gate. They're followed by Oman and Uganda. This is one massive boat by the way - each of these three contingents is accompanied by that of Uzbekistan and Pakistan. Pakistan's flagbearers, as we mentioned earlier, are javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and swimmer Jehanara Nabi.

Next up is what's surely a first in any sporting event? A fashion show! Oh this ceremony is quite a trendsetter eh? One of them walking the ramp is dressed Justin Bieber style!

Mozambique's contingent sail through the river Siene now. Namibia, Nauru and Nepal follow soon, with Nicaragua, Niger and Nigeria also arriving.

This opening ceremony is certainly out of the box.. or out of the stadium, should we say? Well, it’s gathering some mixed reviews from around the globe. Here are some reactions of fans who seem a bit bemused about what’s they’ve witnessed thus far 👇.

"Genuinely bemused at the low-fi opening ceremony so far" - Fans react to Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony

Malaysia are next - expect them to make a fist of things in the badminton events. Malawi follow soon, followed by the Maldives. Mali, Morocco, Marshall Islands and Mauritius also mark their arrival at the 33rd Summer Olympic Games.

Liechtenstein and Lithuania make their way on one big boat. The next boat has the contingents of Luxembourg, North Macedonia and Madagascar - props to the Madagascar attire which looks a sight to behold!

Jordan, Kazakhstan and Kenya now make their way through the Siene. Lesotho, Latvia and Lebanon also make their appearance, followed by Liberia and Libya.

After tributes to some of the great personalities of France, we're back with the next set of troops. Eyeing the top spot for a change will be Japan, who are often there or thereabouts in the top lot. Shigeyuki Nakarai is the flag bearer for Japan. He will be competing in Breaking for his nation in this year's games.

This opening ceremony has left nothing to imagination - there are some minions on display now and they've sunk into the river from which a portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci surfaces up top and is received by huge cheers.

When it comes to the Olympics, you always look forward to the Jamaicans, particularly when it comes to the track-and-field events. It's a huge boat carrying a host of athletes from Jamaica that is making its way. Triple jump athlete Shaneika Ricketts is the country's flag-bearer - she is eyeing her first Olympic medal in what is her second appearance at the Games.

Iceland and Isreal are next, followed by the Italians. 394 athletes from Italy on apacked boat. Gianmarco Tamberi (Athletics) and Arianna Errigo (Fencing) are their two main flag bearer.

Indonesia, who have been doing well in some sports in the Olympics follow up the Indians. Islamic Republic of Iran are not far behind with Iraq and Ireland also present. Fun fact, Team Ireland competed in the Olympics for the first time in 1924.

Sharath Kamal, PV Sindhu lead India's contingent at Paris 2024 opening ceremony

And here come the Indians! Leading the way is ace table-tennis star Achanta Sharath Kamal and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu - it's a raucous boat with the athletes reveling in the moment and waving the tricolor. Seven medals is what India finished with at Tokyo 2020 - can they go better this time around? The attire is a sight to behold of course with the men dressed in traditional kurta-pyjamas and the women draped in saris.

Honduras are up next, followed by Hong Kong, China. Hungary are up next on a boat full of enthusiasm. Up next, it's the moment we have been waiting for..

Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea are next in line. Guyana make their way now with Haiti following them.

Time for Great Britain - diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover lead the way as the flag-bearers. Daley bagged gold in the synchronized 10 metre platform event at Tokyo 2020 while Glover is a two-time Olympic champion, having won gold in 2012 and 2016.

Eswatini are next, followed by Ethiopia, Fiji and Finland all in the same boat. A much smaller boat carries the troop from Gabon. Gambia, Georgia and Ghana's contingents make their way.

A massive, euphoric Spanish contingent now makes its way through the Siene. Marcus Cooper Walz is the flag bearer for them. He won the gold medal in the K-1 1000 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. By the way, Rafael Nadal is enjoying the event with his family - he will be in action in the men's singles and doubles events, teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz for the second of those.

Cuba and Denmark make their appearance followed by a small yet very happy Djibouti contingent that arrives making a bow. The Dominican Republic are up next, followed by Dominica. And we now move to the letter E, led by the Egyptians and El Salvador. The United Arab Emirates sail across the Siene next with Ecuador and Eritrea following them.

Up next are a country who will be eyeing a massive medal tally - the Republic of Korea. Woo Sang-hyeok and Kim Seo-yeong are flag bearers for the nation. Following them are Costa Rica and Cote D'ivoire.

And now, we move onto the next set of contingents making their way over the river Siene. Cyprus make their way, followed by Colombia and Comoros - the Comorians are dressed in white coats and green trousers. Congo is next, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Cook Islands.

We mentioned about how these Olympics could be unique and one of a kind. The opening ceremony at least has lived up to that billing. From an act displaying the French Revolution to a host of dance performances reflecting the culture of France, this ceremony has had it all!