'Dream with us': IOC President delivers message of hope as rain fails to dampen Paris Olympics' unique style opening ceremony

"I invite everybody: Dream with us. Like the Olympic athletes, be inspired with the joy that only sport can give us. Let us celebrate this Olympic spirit of living life in peace, as the one and only humankind, united in all our diversity," Thomas Bach said.

"This is why tonight, with my heart full of emotions, I invite the whole world: let us celebrate this joy of sport together with all the athletes," the IOC President added. "Have faith in the future. Together, let us celebrate the best of our shared humanity."

Bach said there is no "global south" or "global north" in the world of Olympics.

"We all respect the same rules and each other. In our Olympic world, we all belong," he said.

"As Olympians, we care for each other. We do not only respect each other, we live in solidarity with each other. All of you have experienced this and benefitted from our Olympic solidarity on your long journey to finally becoming Olympians," the IOC President added.

Cracking a joke on the rain during the unique style opening ceremony, head of the Paris Olympic Tony Estanguet said, "When you love the Games, first of all you don’t let a 'few drops' of rain bother you."

"Thank you to all those lovers of the Games who are with us – a little soggy – tonight!” Tony Estanguet, the President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, said in his speech during the opening ceremony.

"We have been bold, doing things that have never been done before, like having this Opening Ceremony in the city, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games," Estanguet said.

"For the next 16 days, you will be the best version of humanity," he added.

The Olympic Games, regarded as the greatest show on Earth, stood true to its legendary tagline with a grand and spectacular 2024 opening ceremony in Paris bracing the rains as American pop star Lady Gaga among others rocked the occasion delivering an iconic performance.

This was the first Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games to be held outside a stadium, and the whole city of Paris turned into a massive stadium and theater.

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games began with the 'Parade of the Nations' in which athletes from 205 countries sailed down the iconic Seine river on boats, marking a dreamy break from tradition despite rain threatening to play spoilsport.

The athlete parade this time took place on boats along the Seine and passed several iconic Parisian landmarks.

More than 10,000 athletes made their appearances on about 100 boats along River Seine, passing by iconic Parisian landmarks, including Notre Dame, Pont des Arts, and Pont Neuf, while the floating parade departs from the Austerlitz bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and end at the Trocadéro.