The Paris Olympics organisers’ brave attempt at a different approach to the opening ceremony did not go down too well with fans on social media.
Rather than host the event inside a stadium as has been the case at previous Games, the 2024 vintage saw athletes and delegations arrive by boat, floating down the River Seine with a scenic view of the French capital, finishing at the Eiffel Tower.
There were also performances and various short skits celebrating French culture.
However, it was not well received by all who watched it.
“This is the worst Olympic opening ceremony I have ever seen, it’s actually embarrassing. It is NOTHING to do with the sports and athletes, it’s just some random dancers getting all the airtime and the athletes get maybe 5 seconds per country? Ridiculous!!!” one user wrote on social media platform X.
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Paris 2024: Summer Games opening ceremony held on Seine River in Olympic first
Paris 2024: Summer Games opening ceremony held on Seine River in Olympic first
The same user later queried: “Sorry, am I watching the Olympics or Eurovision?”
Another bluntly claimed: “This is the worst opening ceremony ever. The performances are not giving. Its all over the place. No man”
More than 16,000 people – at the time of writing – appear to have agreed with a different user, who wrote: “I’m sorry but this has to be the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory. It’s an interesting idea bringing the athletes in on boats but it looks rubbish and misses the roar of the crowd. Sorry but not for me.”
One particular bone of contention with watchers on social media was the introduction of a man lying in a platter of fruit in blue body-paint, who became known on social media platforms as “Blue Scrotum”.
“Who had seeing a blue scrotum on their Olympic opening ceremony bingo card. For teenagers of the 90s this is like Eurotrash the movie. Incroyable,” one user wrote.
Several people on social media suggested nothing could match the opening ceremonies at Beijing in 2008 and London four years later.
For a look back at how the opening ceremony went down, you can read our live blog with all the action as it happened here.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kwLG70a1mqZminsBuu8uypKmhk6h6c3yRbWaaqqSesK2xjmxpcGphZYRwvMCroKxln6HGrrzInKpmp6Cau6q6xmaanqqVoryvxYybqZqmlJqxbsPOq6qtZZWrsrN5w6KqmqigpLavwMSdZKynk56urXnMnpuimV2qwKa%2B0g%3D%3D