Paris 2024: Olympic stars battle gloom in City of Light

Paris welcomed the 33rd Olympic Games with an opening ceremony like no other, but Friday night's flotilla down the River Seine was almost washed away by relentless rain.

Zinedine Zidane, Lady Gaga, and Celine Dion were among those to lend the event star power, but a ceremony designed to be staged on the water was largely in it as athletes and performers alike were left drenched by the time the Olympic flame rose above the city on a balloon.

A total of 85 boats carried the team delegations on a six-kilometre journey through the centre of Paris, with more than 300,000 spectators lining the banks of the river.

But as the night went on rain grew steadily heavier, leaving hundreds of dancers out in the damp as they delivered a series of performances that sought to convey the story of Paris and of France.

Lady Gaga was the first to steal the show, bursting forth from behind a pair of outsized pink pom-poms to deliver a burlesque take on the French classic Mon truc en plume.

The performances came in all shapes and sizes, with Gojira adding a dramatic twist of heavy metal.

Flagbearers Shane Lowry and Sarah Lavin bravely weathered the elements with smiles on their faces alongside members of Team Ireland on their boat on the Seine.

Once at the Trocadero, those athletes willing to stick it out began to gather by the long stage – designed in the shape of the Eiffel Tower – down the centre of the temporary stadium, which staff were busily trying to keep free of standing water with mops.

The biggest boat of all was reserved for hosts France, who rounded off the flotilla on a packed vessel that looked more like a ferry as dance music cranked up the atmosphere.

Once they had made their way into the stadium, IOC president Thomas Bach welcomed all