The River Seine was the fickle star of the Paris Olympics, taking centre stage at the opening ceremony and open water swimming and triathlon events despite a running saga over water quality. It was under torrential rain that the Seine appeared before millions of viewers around the world on July 26 for a cheeky and controversial opening ceremony. "Dantesque conditions," was how Games chief Tony Estanguet summed up the unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, the first to take place outside the main stadium.