That’s it for Scroll’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024

The organisers did promise something memorable for the Opening Ceremony, and they sure did deliver a spectacle.

The Parade of Nations started immediately, along the River Seine, with performances that depicted the story of France – the Revolution, a fashion capital.

There were performances by the likes of Lady Gaga, with famed Canadian singer Celine Dion coming up with a beautiful piece to close the night's proceedings.

But there were also a host of big names present for the relay – Zinedine Zidane, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Nadia Comenaci, Carl Lewis, and even Charles Coste, France's oldest living Olympic champion at 100-years-old – as the Olympic flame made its way to the Cauldron at the Gardens of the Tuileries.

The Cauldron itself lit up a hot-air balloon that saw it suspended over the Parisian sky.

In that spectacle, the Games were finally declared Open.

The Indian contingent’s hunt for medals will begin on Day 1, with two medals up for grabs in the shooting mixed rifle team events.

There will also be action in rowing, table tennis, badminton and in men's hockey.

Join us tomorrow for live coverage from Day 1 of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games!

ALSO READ: India’s schedule on July 27: Shooters aim to win medals on day one in Paris

2.57 am: Now from the Eiffel Tower, Canadian singer Celine Dion breaks out in song.

2.54 am: The Cauldron is finally lit. And it will be carried by a hot-air balloon high in the Paris sky.

2.51 am: And for the first time, we get to see the Olympic Cauldron, at the Gardens of the Tuileries next to the Louvre.

2.50 am: A host of former French sporting legends have joined in the torch relay now.

2.47 am: Three more athletes join in, as the group of now five jog around the Louvre with the flame.

2.45 am: Now it goes to four-time NBA basketball champion Tony Parker.

2.44 am: The torch is now passed on to French tennis legend Amélie Mauresmo

2.39 am: Nadal takes the torch onto a boat, where he passes it on to tennis legend Serena Williams, who gives it to five-time Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci, and then it’s passed onto nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis. Together, the four travel by boat. Surely they are taking the torch to the Olympic Cauldron.

2.41 am: As we wait, the Eiffel Tower continues to glow.

2.31 am: The Eiffel Tower lights up in an amazing display

2.28 am: 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal walks out on stage to take the torch from Zinedine Zidane. What a twist this is!

2.27 am: Well well well, look who is here.

2.25 am: The Cauldron still hasn’t been lit. In Tokyo it was Naomi Osaka. Who will it be in Paris?

2.25 am: The President of France Emmanuel Macron officially declares the Olympics OPEN!

1.52 am: Now come the flags of each competing nation gathering under the Eiffel Tower. The Olympic Cauldron should be lit soon enough.

1.41 am: Sofiane Pamart on piano and Juliette Armanet singing John Lennon’s famous song, Imagine. “We stand and call for peace” is the message.

1.37 am: A rather unusual tribute to French cuisine, it seems.

1.23 pm: And here come the hosts!

1.21 pm: Here come the Americans!

1.07 am: 592 athletes make up the American contingent at Paris 2024. Leading them out tonight is basketball legend LeBron James and rising tennis star Coco Gauff

Who will light the Olympic Cauldron this time?

12.50 am: Now a tribute to Paris being one of the fashion capitals in the world. Just before that though, rapper Pitbull with a French number.

12.25 am: Axelle Saint-Cirel presents a beautiful rendition of the French national anthem.

12.17 am: HERE COME THE INDIANS!

11.59 pm: We’re back with the Parade of Nations, with Cyprus.

11:56 pm: Now time for a performance by French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura

Update: The opera singer was Marina Viotti

Update: The French heavy metal band is called Gojira.

11.46 pm: Now the French Revolution is paid homage to by a fusion rock band with an opera singer. In the background, there are Guillotined figures to represent the revolution.

11.45 pm: Who is the mysterious torchbearer?

11.37 pm: We take a break from the Parade of Nations as the build up once again resumes for the lighting of the Olympic torch. Earlier, the great Zinedine Zidane walked with the torch in a promo, but his path was blocked in the subway. He handed the torch over to some of the Paris youth, who were led through the catacombs of Paris by a mysterious figure.

That figure now carries the torch through Paris towards its final destination.

11.19 pm: Pop sensation Lady Gaga is the first act of the Opening Ceremony. The Parade of Nations has taken a brief pause.

11.14 pm: India will be 84th on the list in the Parade of Nations. Greece, as is the standard, is the first contingent to come out. After that, it goes in alphabetical order in the name of how the country is known in French – for example, Germany will come early as the country is called Alemania in France.

11.11 pm: The Seine is set for the Parade of Nations!

11.09 pm: AND HERE WE GO!

11.06 pm: As we wait, here is a list of the previews put up by The Field, highlighting the Indian contingent and their chances across the eight sports where the country has won a medal in the past.

11.04 pm: Not long to go before the Opening Ceremony begins!

“It’s an absolute honour to attend the opening ceremony especially as flag bearers. I have not attended too many opening ceremonies but I’ve told them to just enjoy the ceremony. We have put in unprecedented efforts and we hope they deliver”

— Gagan Narang, India's chef-de-mission and former Olympic medallist shooter

10.41 pm: But there’s always time to stop and savour the special attire for the Opening Ceremony.

10.41 pm: Contingents from 206 nations are preparing for the Parade of Nations along the River Seine.

Hello and welcome to Scroll’s coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris!

The grand celebration towards the end of another Olympic cycle is here, as the world’s best athletes descent upon Paris for the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games.

For the Indians, the heroics of Tokyo 2020 are still fresh in the memory, as the players dare to dream of bigger victories in the French capital.

Today however, the Opening Ceremony will mark the beginning of the sporting extravaganza. But this will be the first time the fabled Parade of Nations takes place outside a stadium. Over 80 boats and barges will carry the delegates of the 206 participating nations along the river Seine.

Veteran table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal and badminton star PV Sindhu have been nominated as the flag bearers for the Indian team that boasts 117 competitors (including reserves) across 16 sports.

Tonight, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially begin.

Screenshots courtesy Jio Cinema, the official Paris Olympics website.