Historic river parade, rain, Celine Dion ignite Paris Olympics

A historic boat parade down the River Seine launched the Paris Olympics with spectacular French flair yesterday, as the City of Light welcomed the world’s greatest athletes for a sporting extravaganza.

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A show-stopping performance by Celine Dion, a flaming Olympic cauldron lifted into the night sky by hot-air balloon, and a dazzling Eiffel Tower light show brought the curtain down on a four-hour celebration of French culture, history and art.

A fleet of barges took the competitors on a six-kilometer stretch of the river alongside some of the French capital’s most famous landmarks, as performers recreated some of the sports to be showcased in the Games on floating platforms.

Braving torrential rain, some 300,000 people had lined the river banks to cheer on the armada carrying competitors past the city’s iconic sights: the Eiffel Tower bearing the five Olympic rings, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral.

The wildly ambitious display was the first time the Olympic opening ceremony has been staged outside the main stadium, making it the biggest-ever launch for the “Greatest Show on Earth.”

But that gamble also made the ceremony hostage to the weather, with spectators, VIPs, and athletes alike drenched or huddling in transparent ponchos.

Some spectators refused to let the downpour get them down. “I’ve got such an adrenaline rush. It’s very exciting,” said Selene Martinez, 42, from Mexico.