Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics
This year, more than ever, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games has been revolutionized. This is the moment when the Olympic Games are officially declared open. The Opening Ceremony, as well as the Closing Ceremony, follows a strict protocol codified in the Olympic Charter; however, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have broken all conventions. Thinking outside the box while remaining accessible to a wide audience is the challenge taken up by Paris 2024.
Paris offered a bold and unique Opening Ceremony, bringing together the most memorable moments in Olympic history. For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the ceremony did not take place in a stadium. Paris 2024 brought sport to the city, and the same will be true for the Olympics, which will be held in the heart of the city along the Seine.
Taking on a new guise, the athletes’ parade took place on the Seine, with 160 boats for a total of 206 delegations embarking and sailing down the river for over six kilometers from east to west. A total of 10,500 athletes crossed the center of Paris. The Seine, its bridges, and the symbolic monuments of the City of Light served as the backdrop to what turned out to be a breathtaking spectacle. But the most important novelty? Holding a ceremony open to a huge audience, with no admission fee. No ticket was needed to access the upper platforms scattered along the Seine. Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers allowed everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this spectacle that reverberated throughout the French capital, the theater of these Olympic Games.
Of course, the athletes were the heart and soul of the ceremony. By opening with the delegations’ parade, Paris 2024 broke with tradition. The athletes were present on stage along with the artists, as part of Paris 2024’s constant goal of organizing Games created for and by athletes. Onboard, the athletes were able to admire some of the official sites of the Games, such as La Concorde, the Esplanade des Invalides, the Grand Palais, and finally the Iéna bridge, where the procession stopped in front of the Trocadéro for the final part of the ceremony.
But the most solemn and important moment of the entire Opening Ceremony was certainly the arrival of the Olympic torch and the lighting of the flame. Indeed, on July 26, 2024, in a moment that symbolizes unity and universality, Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, carried the Paris 2024 Olympic Flame to the top of the Basilica of the Cathedral of Saint-Denis one last time before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Games.
In front of a captivated audience, Pharrell Williams raised the Paris 2024 Olympic Flame, in homage to the values of excellence and universality that are transmitted through sport and that are dear to Louis Vuitton.
Along with Pharrell, three other Flame Bearers exited the main doors of the Basilica of the Cathedral of Saint-Denis with the unlit Olympic Flame. Together, they headed towards the Louis Vuitton Torch Trunk, specially designed to protect, transport, and present the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch. This was a moment that not only represented the end of the relay but was also a testimony of a mission accomplished collectively with honor and commitment.
All this highlights the Torch, a symbol of the Olympic spirit and its values of travel and excellence, an object that was finally enclosed inside the Louis Vuitton Torch Trunk, giving way to the Opening Ceremony. Conceived by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, the Olympic torch passed through the hands of over 10,000 torchbearers, and the Paralympic torch will pass through the hands of 1,000 torchbearers. The torch trunks, designed by Louis Vuitton, are crafted to ensure a perfect location for the torches. But not only that, the trunks also transform into elegant presentation boxes. Like every piece crafted in the Asnières workshops since 1859, the Torch Trunks demonstrate an extraordinary mastery of execution.
Celebrating the premium partnership between LVMH and Paris 2024, Louis Vuitton embodies the bond that intertwines the worlds of fashion and sport, conveying the same values and pursuit of excellence as the inspiring athletes currently charting their course towards the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. The Maison’s legacy and commitment to sport dates back to 1850, when Louis Vuitton himself revolutionized travel with protective trunks that combined elegance and practicality. This visionary spirit continues to manifest itself in all of its creations, including the Torch and Medals trunks for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This partnership represents the largest financial commitment ever made by a company to support a sporting event or demonstration. The LVMH group will be the premium partner of the Paris Olympics, with a cash injection that, according to Bloomberg, is estimated to be 150 million euros. An agreement that will help strengthen France’s appeal in the world, as stated by Bernard Arnault, president and CEO of LVMH, in a note. There is, in fact, a commitment from three fashion houses: Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Berluti, to support athletes who will particularly distinguish themselves as “Artisans of all victories.”
