World roasts Paris Olympics organisers over shocking blunder during opening ceremony

The Paris Olympics has been plagued by setbacks and blunders in the first few days, and it continued with a shocking gaffe in the opening ceremony. The world was watching Paris on Friday night, and the Olympic hosts put on a spectacular but divisive opening ceremony.

The first four hours of the event were widely panned, and the decision to send the athletes down the River Seine on boats proved controversial. Many thought the athletes didn't get enough of the spotlight, and the ceremony didn't have the same atmosphere because it wasn't in a packed stadium.

The final 30 minutes of the event were truly spectacular, with Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel Tower and the Olympic cauldron taking off into the night attached to a hot-air balloon. But an embarrassing blunder during the official flag-raising ceremony couldn't be ignored.

The raising of the Olympic flag takes place at every Olympic Games, but they got it horribly wrong in Paris. As the flag was being hoisted, the whole world couldn't help but notice it was upside down. Instead of the three rings being at the top and two at the bottom, it was the other way around. Considering how iconic the rings are, it was impossible to miss the unfortunate blunder.

"Those who managed to stay awake during the opening ceremonies were treated to the Olympic flag being flown upside down," American reporter Dan Wetzel wrote on social media. Politician Aaron Rankin wrote: "The big spectacle was washed out by the weather, the display was cringe and to top it all off the Olympic flag was hoisted upside down at the zenith of it all. This event is like a microcosm of modern France, an utter shambles."

Others described it as "unforgivable" and "embarrassing" to make such a mistake on the world stage. "If you’re having a bad day at work, it could be worse. You could be the flag team that hoisted the Olympic Flag upside down at the opening ceremony," another person wrote.

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Olympics opening ceremony divides opinion around the world

The overwhelming sentiment was rather negative regarding the opening ceremony, however the ending was truly spectacular. French football legend Zinedine Zidane handed the Olympic torch to Spanish tennis icon Rafa Nadal, who boarded a boat with fellow tennis legend Serena Williams, gymnastics champion Nadia Comaneci and American runner Carl Lewis.

The four sporting icons then made their way by boat up the River Seine towards the Louvre, where they passed the torch to Amelie Mauresmo - France's only woman to be ranked World No. 1 in tennis - and NBA champion Tony Parker. Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner then lit the Olympic cauldron to officially open the Games.

The cauldron was attached to a giant hot-air balloon (invented in France) and it took flight into the night in extraordinary scenes. To top it all off, French-Canadian singer Dion performed on a platform on the Eiffel Tower. It marked an amazing return to performing for Dion, who was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome in 2022, which caused her to postpone a tour at the time. The rare neurological disorder causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which affects her ability to walk and sing.