Canadian singer Celine Dion is set to return to the stage at this year’s Paris Olympics after a 28-year-gap, marking her first performance since stiff person syndrome diagnosis in 2022, US-based entertainment magazine Variety reported on Tuesday.

The 56-year-old singer was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, an autoimmune disorder resulting in a loss of muscle control, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The diagnosis had led her to take a break from touring and performing on stage.

Dion is rumoured to perform on stage during the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday. According to Variety, she arrived in Paris on Monday at the Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées. However, details about her performance are kept under wraps.

The Heart Will Go On singer had teased her Olympics performance in an interview back in April. “I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again,” she had said.

The opening ceremony will be held along the Seine river in Paris with a 6.4- kilometre-long floating procession featuring boats from each national delegation. “For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium,” the official website of the mega-sporting event has mentioned.

Dion is rumoured to perform in front of the Eiffel Tower during the nautical parade. She had previously inaugurated the Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta with her song The Power of the Dream. The opening ceremony garnered around 3.5 billion views globally.

The Power of Love singer is set to feature in a Prime Video documentary based on her challenges with stiff person syndrome. Recently, a trailer of I Am: Celine Dion was dropped by the makers which stitches together archival footage and behind-the-scenes videos from the career of the singer.