Paris 2024 Olympics Day 0: The Games get underway with spectacular opening ceremony
Check back in every day for recaps of all the Canadian action at Paris 2024!
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were officially opened on Friday during a remarkable opening ceremony that showcased everything the French capital has to offer, and had a very special Canadian connection as well.
Athletes from 205 nations floated down the River Seine in 85 boats, an audacious and unique opening ceremony that was executed brilliantly. Throughout the parade of nations there were performances on either side of the river and on the bridges overhead, including pop star Lady Gaga, a fashion show, rock band Gojira performing alongside a headless Marie Antoinette, and Juliette Armanet covering John Lennon’s “Imagine”, among others.
One of the stars of the show was a robotic horse that galloped down the Seine, ridden by a woman wearing the Olympic flag as a cape, which turned into a real horse at the end to deliver the flag for the official opening of the Games.
After sailing down the river athletes met at the Trocadero for speeches and the Olympic Oath, before the cauldron, a floating hot air balloon, was lit by some of France’s biggest sporting stars.
It was two of Canada’s biggest stars, sprinter Andre De Grasse and weightlifter Maude Charron, that led the Canadian delegation into the Olympics after being named the nation’s flag bearers on Wednesday.
The ceremony ended with one final magical moment, as Canadian icon Celine Dion performed from a stage on the Eiffel Tower, visibly emotional during her first public performance since 2020. Dion had not performed since being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, and her rendition of Edith Piaf's Hymne à l'amour quenched days and weeks of speculation that she may be ready to take to the stage once again.
It was a remarkable opening ceremony, and one that raised the bar for future Olympic hosts, challenging them to think outside the box. Many, including this writer, believe it was the best Olympic opening ceremony ever.
And now, after years of preparation the Olympics are officially underway. Let the Games begin!
What’s happening on Day 1?
A few of Canada’s best medal hopes are in action on Day 1 of the Olympics, while several sports begin the early rounds of their respective competitions.
Here are all of the Canadian athletes competing on Saturday at the Olympic Games. Click here for CBC’s guide on when and where to watch every event.
One of the most anticipated events of the Olympics takes centre stage in the pool on day one, the women’s 400m freestyle. Canada’s teenage superstar (and former record holder in this event) Summer McIntosh is expected to challenge for the podium alongside American Katie Ledecky and Australian Ariarne Titmus, who have both held the record in this event, with Titmus currently the fastest in the world. The heats go in the morning, with the finals set for the evening session. The heats for the men’s and women’s 4x100m swimming relays will also take place on Saturday morning, with the finals set for the evening session.
In road cycling, both the men’s and women’s individual time trials will take place, with Olivia Baril competing in the women’s event and Derek Gee in the men’s event, with Gee fresh off a ninth overall finish in the 2024 Tour de France.
Switching from two wheels to four, Matt Berger, Cordano Russell, and Ryan Decenzo will compete in the preliminary rounds of the men’s skateboarding street event, with the athletes with the top eight scores according to a panel of judges moving onto the final later on Saturday.
François Cauchon, Shaul Gordon, and Fares Arfa will take part in the men’s individual sabre fencing event. Cauchon starts in the round of 64, while Gordon and Arfa begin in the round of 32. In the women’s individual epee event, Ruien Xiao represents Canada beginning in the round of 32. The medal matches for both events take place later on Saturday should any of the athletes advance through the earlier rounds.
Canadian athletes competing in non-medal events on day 1:
Reigning Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil begins her gold medal defence in the women’s 100m butterfly event. Fellow Canadian Rebecca Smith will also be competing in this event. Heats will take place in the morning, semifinals will happen Saturday night, and the finals will be during Sunday’s evening session.
The Canadian men’s basketball team begin their first Olympic tournament in over two decades on Saturday, opening the group phase against NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.
Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu play their first round matches in the women’s singles tennis competition, while Milos Raonic and Félix Auger-Aliassime compete in the first round of the men’s event. Raonic and Auger-Aliassime will also play their first men’s doubles match, while Fernandez also opens her women’s doubles competition alongside Gabriela Dabrowski.
Sophie Bukovec and Heather Bansley open Pool B play of their women’s beach volleyball competition against Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss of the United States.
Qualifying for the men’s artistic gymnastics will take place on Saturday, with Canada represented by René Cournoyer, Zachary Clay, Félix Dolci, William Émard and Samuel Zakutney. There are six apparatus in men’s artistic gymnastics: floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. Each team will put up four athletes on each apparatus, with the top three scores counting towards the team scores. Eight teams will advance to the team final, and this qualification round will also determine the 24 gymnasts advancing to the individual all-around final and the eight finalists for each separate apparatus final.
Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura begin their men’s doubles badminton group stage schedule, taking on Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang of China.
The first two heats of the men’s C-1 and women’s K-1 canoe/kayak slalom events go on Saturday, with Alex Baldoni representing Canada in the C-1 and Lois Betteridge doing so in the K-1.
The dressage portion of the individual and team equestrian eventing competitions will take place, the first of three disciplines that will contribute to the medals being awarded later in the week. Canada is represented by Jessica Phoenix, Karl Slezak and Michael Winter.
Michele Esercitato will compete in the qualification rounds of the men’s 10m air pistol, with the top eight athletes advancing to the final.
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