From LA's rocketman to London's skyfall: iconic Olympics openings

Paris (AFP) – As Paris prepares for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 with what promises to be a spectacular parade of boats along the river Seine, AFP looks back at memorable Olympics curtainraisers of the past.

Issued on: 23/07/2024 - 04:15Modified: 23/07/2024 - 04:13

4 min

1896: Gigantic choir in Athens

On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, newly restored in white marble, in front of 80,000 spectators, some in traditional Greek attire, others in suits.

The King proclaimed the opening of the Games and the Olympic hymn, written by Greek composer Spyridon Samaras, was then sung by a 150-strong choir, accompanied by nine philharmonic orchestras.

German chancellor Adolf Hitler gives the Nazi salute during the opening ceremony of the Berlin Olympics on August 1, 1936 © - / HO/AFP/File

1936: "Heil Hitler" in Berlin

On August 1, 1936, Adolf Hitler opened the Summer Games in Berlin as a Nazi German showcase, aimed at presenting foreign spectators with the image of a peaceful and tolerant country.

Swastikas bedecked the Brandenburg Gate as musical fanfares announced the dictator's arrival to a largely German crowd of 100,000, who hailed him with Nazi salutes and cries of "Heil Hitler".

When the athletes filed through the stadium, the German delegation also performed the Nazi salute.

1964: Japan's rebirth

Yoshinori Sakai from Hiroshima on October 10, 1964 after lighting the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games © - / AFP/File

The Tokyo Olympics marked Japan's great return to the world stage after its defeat and destruction two decades earlier in World War II.

In a poignant symbolic nod to its pacifist credo, the last carrier of the Olympic torch was Yoshinori Sakai, an athlete born on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

1984: Rocket man in Los Angeles

Held at the height of the Cold War, boycotted by the Soviet Union and 14 Eastern bloc allies, the opening of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was designed to show off America's technological prowess.

In a futuristic tour de force that took millions of viewers by surprise, "Rocket man" Bill Suitor flew into the Memorial Coliseum using a hydrogen peroxide-fuelled jet pack.

1996: Muhammad Ali lights up Atlanta

Boxing superstar Muhammad Ali overcomes his trembling from Parkinson's disease to light the Olympic flame in Atlanta © OMAR TORRES / AFP/File

In 1996, a global audience of three billion held its breath as boxing superstar Muhammad Ali momentarily conquered his trembling due to Parkinson's disease to defiantly raise the Olympic flame and then slowly lower it to light the cauldron, marking the start of the Atlanta Games.

Ali's participation had been kept top secret. The crowd gasped in surprise as he emerged from behind a curtain in a white tracksuit, his arms and head shaking erratically.

2000: Aboriginal hero shimmers in Sydney

Australian Aboriginal sporting icon Cathy Freeman holds up the Olympic torch before lighting the cauldron in Sydney © KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP/File

At the millennium Games in Sydney, Aboriginal star Cathy Freeman symbolised the desire to reconcile the people of Australia when she ascended to the cauldron in a cascading waterfall to light the flame.

Ten days later she won the 400m final before an ecstatic crowd in what was to be her last major race.

2008: China flaunts global power

The opening of the Beijing Games, a coming out party for a nation whose global power was rising as quickly as its wealth, took place to the thundering beat of 2,008 drums in the "Bird's Nest" stadium.

A host of dancers, acrobats and trapeze artists went on to tell the story of the Great Wall of China, the Silk Road and China's love affair with martial arts in an awe-inspiring display that drowned out the political controversies and pollution concerns that plagued the run-up to the Games.

2012: Queen Elizabeth's London skyfall

Actors imitating Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II and James Bond parachute into the stadium during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics © OLIVIER MORIN / AFP/File

The late Queen Elizabeth II played a starring role at the London Olympics, appearing alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig in a film shown at the opening ceremony in which she appeared to skydive into the stadium from a helicopter.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Trainspotting" fame was the mastermind of the ceremony, which showcased British history with a hefty dollop of the nation's offbeat humour.

The show included a tribute to the National Health Service, a major source of national pride, with children wearing pyjamas bouncing on 320 giant hospital beds.