Paris 2024 Olympics: The Most Memorable Moments of the First Week

This first week of the Paris 2024 Games has been filled with joy, a sense of community and shared excitement. From the opening ceremony to the athletes’ podiums and the celebration venues, let’s revisit the moments that stood out most.

The opening ceremony lived up to all its promises. For four hours, Thomas Jolly (artistic director of the ceremonies) and his teams impressed the world, as shown by this spectacular image of the Eiffel Tower.

To close the opening ceremony, it was the diva Céline Dion who appeared on the Eiffel Tower, singing Hymne à l'Amour. A sublime cover for the Canadian, who sang publicly for the first time in four years.

Possibly the most iconic image of the Games so far: the Olympic Cauldron (lit by Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner) rising into the Parisian sky at the end of the opening ceremony.

The Urban Park, located at Place de la Concorde, has become the city-centre playground for urban Olympic disciplines. The host venue for BMX Freestyle, 3x3 Basketball, Skateboarding, Breakdancing, and myriad activities for the general public, the Urban Park is the hottest ticket in town.

Gold medal, act 1. The French rugby sevens team clinched the first gold medal for the host nation at the end of a thrilling tournament. Antoine Dupont and his merry men set the tone, and placed the French firmly in the mix at the top of the medals table.

A regal venue for the sport of kings! The Château de Versailles gardens are hosting the equestrian events of the Paris 2024 Games in a breathtaking setting. This image speaks for itself...

Kicking off the Games in style! At the Champions Park (Trocadéro), the focus is placed firmly on the fans themselves. With daily visits from medal-winning athletes (both French and international) an live broadcasts of the evening events this is the place to be for those who didn’t get a ticket for the live venues.

On the hill at Elancourt, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot gave herself a huge treat by winning the Mountain Bike race. Having been chasing the Olympic title for years, the Rémoise native put an end to her curse by winning Olympic gold in front of her home crowd.

At the Olympic Games, American basketball stars often put on a show. Once again this year, Team USA is looking like a Dream Team, and not even superstar LeBron James, who is in top form, can deny it. In Lille, the Americans are leaving their opponents nothing but crumbs!

He is quite simply THE star of this first week of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. With three Olympic titles already in his bag, Léon Marchand (400 m medley, 200 m breaststroke, 200 m butterfly) is shining in the pool at the Paris La Défense Arena.

For months, there has been much debate about the bathability of the Seine. Finally, on Wednesday, the Olympic events of triathlon went ahead normally, with two medals for France: gold for Cassandre Beaugrand and bronze for Léo Bergère. All in a majestic setting.

Fencing has also been one of the great pleasures of this first week of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Held in the Grand Palais, it offers completely new images and shots, like this one, touching on the divine.

One of the great ladies of Paris 2024 is American gymnast Simone Biles. Three years after missing out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, she is back on the floor of the Arena Bercy like a queen. Now that she's back to enjoying her sport, she's glowing once again!

The Arena Paris Sud lives for its exploits. A table tennis prodigy, Alexis Lebrun is putting in one major performance after another to thrill his fans like never before. Having qualified for the semi-finals, he is now just one win away from an Olympic medal!