Fans say the 2024 Olympics is starting off on the wrong foot. The highly anticipated sporting ceremony finally kicked off on Friday evening. Of course, all eyes were on Paris as elaborate performances, dramatic parades of countries, and more ushered in the event. Unfortunately, France wasn’t able to meet fans’ expectations.
Many took to Twitter to air their grievances, generating humorous memes to depict their disappointment. Some fans had a problem with countries’ representatives having their parade on a boat rather than the usual format of walking around a stadium. The athletes wore plastic ponchos, traveling down the river Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats while excitedly waving their flags.
One fan shared a meme of former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak standing on a podium with the words “Stop The Boats.” “Everyone on their third hour of watching the #OpeningCeremony,” it read. Another complained, “I don’t like this format, man. I want to see people walk and strut with pride. I want to see the flag bearers do the most with their flag-bearing moment.” A third fan compared the parade to a scene from SpongeBob Squarepants, asking, “Why are the countries coming out like this?” This fourth comment read:
“I’m sorry but this has to be the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory. It’s an interesting idea bringing the athletes in on boats but it looks rubbish and misses the roar of the crowd. Sorry but not for me.”
A fifth fan agreed with the sentiment, writing, “No offense, France, but the boat idea was a terrible one.” This Internet user confessed, “I’m actually embarrassed on behalf of France; this is going down as the worst opening ceremony in history.” Another hilarious comment read, “Enjoying France’s plan of ensuring every athlete gets a horrible cold as they ride down a river for hours in the pouring rain before the events even start.”
Others poked fun at the performances, especially those from local French artists, depicting the country’s culture. One hilarious portrayal of the Greek god Dionysus saw a man covered in blue paint with flowers and fruit. Fans had a field day comparing the performer to “Papa Smurf.”
All Things That Went Wrong With The 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony
What was supposed to be a momentous event turned out to be a disaster due to many factors. Per Daily Mail, torrential downpours marred the televised ceremony as predicted by the weather forecast. That gave the event a soggy start, affecting the audio and sparking flood warnings. Also, before the ceremony, the country’s rail network endured arson attacks from vandals, impacting over 800,000 users, including those who were trying to get to the Olympics.
Perhaps the most embarrassing fail of the 2024 Olympics happened when President Emmanuel Macron opened the games. After he declared that the games had begun, the Olympic flag was raised at Place du Trocadero. Unfortunately, fans noticed it was placed upside down in yet another hilarious blunder.
