Opening Ceremony: Olympic flame rises over Paris as Céline Dion sings Edith Piaf

The Olympic flame rose over Paris Friday night in a floating cauldron lit by French athletes Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner at the height of the Opening Ceremony. Canadian music icon Céline Dion brought down the curtain by giving her first public performance in four years, singing Edith Piaf’s "Hymne à l'Amour” from the Eiffel Tower. Worsening rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the banks of the River Seine as a floating parade carried nearly 7,000 athletes throughout the night. Read our liveblog to see how the Opening Ceremony unfolded.