Petanque players in the southern French city of Marseille gathered at their club on Friday (July 26) to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony while throwing balls, sipping pastis, and eating pizza.
On the screen set up outside, a fleet of barges could be seen taking Olympic competitors on a 6 km stretch of the River Seine for the ceremony alongside some of the French capital’s most famous landmarks, as performers entertained the crowds in a nearly four-hour spectacle.
Since Michaela Randriampenomanana could not travel to Paris to experience the opening ceremony in person, she decided to watch it on TV with her friends from the petanque club.
“I would have loved to be there, to see all the events, the lights, and everything on the Seine – it’s so beautiful,” she said.
Julie Dervieux was particularly eager to see Canadian musician Celine Dion perform.
“We thought she would never come back. They said she would sing, so I’m here and I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world,” she said.
While most Olympic events will take place in Paris, some football matches will be played in Marseille’s Velodrome stadium near the city centre, and a brand new marina was built to host the Olympic sailing events.
(Reuters)