Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony: Olympic Flag Hoisted Upside Down – WATCH

The Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony was the first time when an Olympic opening ceremony didn’t not take place in a stadium.

Paris: After South Korea was wrongly introduced as North Korea, the Paris Olympics 2024 Opening ceremony saw another major upset as the Olympic flag was raised upside down on Friday, thus embarrassing the country in front of the whole world. The moment was caught on camera when it was observed that the five-coloured rings of the iconic emblem were in a wrong position, thus confirming that the flag was hoisted incorrectly.

The big spectacle was washed out by the weather, the display was cringe & to top it all off the Olympic flag was hoisted upside down at the zenith of it all

This event is like a microcosm of modern France, an utter shamblespic.twitter.com/eZeyCrIXRQ

— Aaron Rankin (@Aaron_R_Rankin) July 26, 2024

Meanwhile, on-and-off showers did not seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes at the Opening Ceremony. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river in a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s high-speed rail network.

With the ambitious ceremony, the stakes for France were immense. Dozens of heads of state and government were in town, and the world was watching as Paris turned itself into a giant open-air theater. Along the Seine, iconic monuments became stages for dancers, singers and other artists.

That included the Louvre Museum, near where French judo champ Teddy Riner and three-time Olympic champion runner Marie-Jose Perec lit the Olympic cauldron, which was attached to a giant balloon that floated into the night — an homage to early French pioneers of manned flight.

Many of the hundreds of thousands of spectators huddled under umbrellas, plastic ponchos or jackets as the rains intensified, others danced and sang, and some dashed from their seats for shelter. The weather made for some bizarre scenes at the show combining prerecorded and live performances: a stiff upper-lipped pianist played on even as small puddles formed on his grand piano.

A breakdancer flipped her moves on the sheen of a rain-drenched platform. Some athletes in Bermuda-style colorful shirts looked dressed for the beach, not a deluge.

Organizers said the weather forced them to scrap some elements of the show considered too dangerous in the slippery conditions. Still, as global audiences tuned in, Paris put its best foot forward — quite literally, with a spectacular Olympic launch that lifted spirits and joyous French cancan dancers early on.

With AP Inputs