Wrapped in a poncho under torrential rain, Brazilian Lucas Amadeu said he regretted forking out 2,700 euros ($2,930) for a top seat at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on Friday. “I think for those who are watching on the television it must be an amazing show, with beautiful pictures,” he told AFP from a stand close to the historic Alexandre III bridge. “But for us who are here, we don’t see the show, just a lot of boats going by.
“I came all the way from Brazil, I spent a lot of money and I’m having a miserable experience,” the drenched 38-year-old boss of a marketing company added.
When they promised a spectacular open-air ceremony at the heart of one of the world’s most beautiful cities, the organisers of the Paris Games were praying for fine weather.
Instead organisers got leaden skies and almost non-stop rain from the moment the first boat appeared shortly after 7:30pm carrying the team from Greece, in line with Olympic tradition.
The downpour dampened spirits for those watching from the river banks but not everyone was as negative as Amadou.
“The show is fantastic. An interesting idea, very novel in terms of the approach. Just a little bit dampened by the weather,” said Mike Smith, 57, a consultant from Britain who was watching with his wife.
“But we’re British, we’re used to it.”
Huge cheers
After all, the spectators were seeing a slice of history — it was the first time an Olympics has ever opened outside the main stadium.
There were huge cheers for star performers Lady Gaga and Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura when they appeared on giant screens along the route.
Nakamura became embroiled in a race-tinged row about her appearance in March with far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggesting she would “humiliate” France.
The Ukrainian athletes, those from Palestine and France’s huge delegation were also loudly applauded as they sailed up the river.
“It’s moving to see all these people come together for sport,” said Michele Dufour, a 62-year-old volunteer watching from a bridge near the Louvre museum.
Others felt they would have liked to have seen more live performances.
The entertainment was split into 12 sections along the route, meaning the roughly 300,000 ticket holders were left watching big screens for long periods to know what was happening elsewhere.
“I’m really disappointed,” Ashley Gilmore, a 41-year-old American told AFP close to the Orsay museum on the Left Bank with his wife and children.
“We thought there would be entertainment all along the route,” said Marie-Therese Roquet, a 73-year-old from the south of France.
Ticketing problems at some entrances and strict security also meant some spectators faced waits of up to two hours to take their seats.
The parade closed with a show-stopping performance from Celine Dion, positioned on the Eiffel Tower.
By that stage many others in stands upstream had headed home early, while those that stayed cowered under umbrellas.
After an inauspicious build-up that saw sabotage attacks on the French railway system in the early hours of Saturday, Frenchman Marc-Henri Messiad said he was proud of country for showing resilience.
“Neither the sabotage nor the rain stopped us. We carried on,” he told AFP.
Having watched the show on television in a bar in central Paris, local Claire Pichon said she felt emotional.
“It was grandiose. I’m proud of Paris, proud to be French,” she said.
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