Paris 2024 Olympics: the best photos of the incredible opening ceremony on the Seine

**The gamble was a risky one, but the organisers of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony were determined to open a new page in the history of the Olympic Games. Why confine the party to a walled arena, when you have the City of Light at your disposal they reasoned?

If the images of this extraordinary night are anything to go by, the gamble has paid off handsomely.**

Inevitably, the ceremony kicked off with a video of Zinedine Zidane sprinting through the Paris streets, leaving a pile of tourists and café tables in his wake like a succession of Italian defenders, as he weaved his way to the Seine.

And the legendary French World Cup-winner reappeared later on to receive the Olympic flame from the hands of a mysterious masked flag-bearer who was one of the main protagonists of this extraordinary opening night.

Paris promised global stars, and Paris delivered.

Lady Gaga - who else - made the first show-stopping appearance of the night. Dressed all in black and emerging from behind two giant pink ostrich feathers on a gold staircase, the American superstar performed a Monroe-inspired dance routine to Mon Truc en Plume, before sitiing at a grand piano on the bank of the Seine, to serenade the crowd.

The honour of lighting the Olympic cauldron was shared by Teddy Riner and Marie-José Pérec — both triple Olympic Gold medallists. A touching moment that was in keeping with the theme of solidarity and diversity that ran through the whole ceremony.

As the Olympic cauldron was raised above the Parisian skyline, the gathered crowds turned their attention once more to the question that has been on everyone's lips for weeks now: is there still time for Céline Dion make an appearance?

Right on cue, Céline appeared below the Olympic rings on the opposite bank of the Seine, to perform a moving rendition of Hymne à l'Amour — Edith Piaf's definitive tribute to unconditional love.

A fitting end to an opening ceremony that was a celebration of love, solidarity and diversity in all their forms from beginning to end.