Rain fails to put a dampener on Paris Olympics opening ceremony on River Seine

A total of 85 boats are carrying the team delegations on a 6km journey through the centre of Paris, with more than 300,000 spectators lining the banks of the Seine

Team Ireland, led by flagbearers Shane Lowry and Sarah Lavin, during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games on the banks of the river Seine in Paris, France. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Paris welcomed the Olympic Games with an opening ceremony like no other as athletes sailed down the River Seine to the sound of Lady Gaga and more, but relentless rain put a dampener on the party.

Legendary French footballer Zinedine Zidane starred in a video to tee up the arrival of the Olympic flame before flares set off from the Austerlitz Bridge formed a tricolore.