The Olympics opening ceremony has been criticised by spectators who have described it as “the worst ever” with rain hampering audio and urging organisers to “stop the boats”.
6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos tried to keep their spirits high as they travelled down the River Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances by Lady Gaga and some 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors are difficult to hear over the sound of rain, and spectators called it “the worst Olympic opening ceremony in living memory.”
One social media user said: “France is doing well, but it is a long way from reaching the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
The first boats of athletes travel along the Seine River for the opening ceremony
Torrential rain in Paris has marred the opening ceremony and many spectators were seen wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas.
France is cloudy, grey and humid as the Olympic opening ceremony takes place along the River Seine.
Team GB embraced the rain, with many choosing not to bother with a poncho to protect themselves from the torrential downpours.
Olympic ceremony kicks off in Paris with Lady Gaga performance
Let the games begin! The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is officially underway
A screen at the Trocadero breaks due to the onslaught of rain
Refugee Olympic team athletes arrive at the Seine
The ship carrying the Cuban team sails down the Seine
Another used an image of Rishi Sunak on a podium reading ‘Stop the boats’ to describe how they felt about the parade on the water.
For the first time in history, the opening ceremony will take place outside a closed stadium, while Paris will host an aquatic parade never before seen during the Olympic Games.
The open-air spectacle will take place along a 6-kilometre stretch of the River Seine and will include a total of 160 boats, each carrying 94 athletes along the iconic river.
But fans on social media are unimpressed by France’s attempt to change the ceremony, with one writing: “Sorry but this is the worst Olympic opening ceremony I can remember.”
“It’s an interesting idea to bring athletes in on boats, but it seems silly and you don’t hear the roar of the crowd. Sorry, but it’s not for me.”
Another said: “This opening ceremony would really benefit from Graham Norton’s commentary questioning what the hell is going on. Does anyone else find this just plain weird and hard to follow?”
One joked: “It’s a hilarious irony that the French are so reliant on their contribution to different musical genres and yet the only thing the microphones pick up is the rain,” after performances of the cancan, a selection of songs from Les Misérables, the opera Carmen and a show by French heavy metal band Gojira were drowned out.
Meteorologists who predicted that the unusually wet July weather would be a “disaster” for the open-air ceremony appear to have been right, as the screen at the Trocadéro, where thousands of spectators gathered, appeared to suffer a blackout as a result of the dreary weather.
Instead of crowds dressed in shorts and T-shirts enjoying the Parisian sunshine, the streets were lined with umbrellas and spectators, including celebrities, resorting to ponchos to protect themselves from the rain.
One viewer on social media joked: “If it keeps raining when they get to Zimbabwe they’ll be able to sail the boat down the street.”
“Well, this fancy exterior idea turned out well, didn’t it?” another wrote sarcastically.
(tags to translate)dailymail
