Morning showed the day, as Paris woke up to a gloomy Friday on ‘Opening Ceremony Day’.

Till afternoon, everyone hoped rain would not hinder the open-air inauguration of the 2024 Olympic Games and umbrellas and raincoats would not have to be brought out. But, that was not to be.

At 7.30pm local time (11pm IST), as the world waited with bated breath for the never-seen-before opening ceremony on the Seine, the skies opened up. But the showers did nothing to dampen the indomitable spirit of the Olympic Games.

A 6km parade began from the Austerlitz bridge as 85 boats carried more than 6,800 athletes amid loud cheers from the gathered crowd. The athletes glided on the Seine as the Eiffel Tower kept a watch on the extravagant show.

French football superstar Zinedine Zidane had set the show rolling with a pre-recorded video of running and carrying the Olympic torch through the streets of Paris, including ‘jumping’ over a car.

Among the performers were Lady Gaga who sang Renee Jeanmaire’s Mon Truc en Plumes and Mali-born French pop superstar Aya Nakamura. French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel delivered La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, from the roof of the Grand Palais.

The first to arrive for the ‘parade’ was the Greek contingent, for being the spiritual home of the Games, followed by the Refugee team.

The Indian contingent came along with 78 athletes and 12 officials — led by flagbearers PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal. The sailing duo of Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan were also aboard, having managed to arrive at the Athletes Village from Marseilles despite the rail disruptions.

The rain picked up by 9.10pm local time but the spirit could not be dampened. Yes, it was wet but a unique show for the senses.