The grand opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games concluded at around 11:30 p.m. with the conclusion of the Olympic torch relay and a cauldron lit by Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. An hour later, via videoconference, Thomas Jolly, artistic director of ceremonies, Thierry Reboul, director of ceremonies, and Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympics organizing committee, expressed their deep emotion after a magnificently successful evening despite the pouring rain.
“We’re coming off an epic day, a flamboyant crossing of Paris,” says Thomas Jolly. “The artists gave it their all. I want to quote Seneca: life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” We reviewed a lot of things throughout the day. We work with nature and it gave us a little surprise this evening (Friday). It really wanted to be there, stopping at the end of the ceremony… We had to remove some performers because it was dangerous. That’s the magic of live performance. But what was delivered this evening is very close to what we had conceived.”
“I wondered if I had made a huge mistake.”
“We are all very moved,” Tony Estanguet began in this videoconference. “We have just experienced an exceptional adventure. We have been dreaming of this moment for years. I am extremely proud of this team, of this project, of this moment, of what France showed this evening. There was audacity, a lot of things. I loved it! I had a great time. Bravo!” The Paris 2024 boss also wants to thank the last torchbearers “for holding on” to the well-kept secret. “It was a great moment that highlighted French sport,” he concluded.
With only three questions, the three men were not able to develop their ideas much, but they will probably do so a little later. “The aim was to make one. A big we,” Thomas Jolly said about the staging. Finally, Thierry Reboul, the man who had the idea of a ceremony along the Seine, concluded with a touch of humor.
“I would just like to say one thing: when I arrived with this thing and Tony bought it, I wondered if I had not made a huge mistake… We were not spared anything. But tonight, we can say that we did it! The book is quite beautiful and we can close it with a feeling of shared pride.” By the athletes, the spectators, the television viewers and all the participants in this unprecedented ceremony in the history of the Olympic Games.
