The extravaganza was marked by a sea of colour and raincoats on a rainy Paris day as the flotilla passed the city’s most iconic landmarks.

Athletes travel down the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

The party kicked off with Grammy-winner Lady Gaga performing a burlesque version of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.

Lady Gaga performs ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Photo: AAP

The 38-year-old US superstar said it was her “supreme honour” to perform at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

On X, she said: “I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organising committee to sing such a special French song-a song to honour the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre.

Forecasts of a rain-soaked Friday night delivered on cue, the grey skies opening just as 85 boats and almost 7,000 athletes and team staff floated down the River Seine in front of 320,000 spectators.

A flotilla of athletes moves down the River Seine for the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. Photo: AAP

As the ceremony moved down the river, it paid tribute to the country’s culture and history including Les Miserables, a popular novel by Victor Hugo, which has subsequently been turned into a musical.

Following a sequence paying homage to the historical epic, French heavy metal band Gojira performed at the Conciergerie, a former courthouse and prison in the city.

The parade concluded at the Trocadero, where the Olympic cauldron was lit and the Games declared open.

French football legend Zinedine Zidane handed the Olympic torch to Rafael Nadal, who joined fellow tennis star Serena Williams, former sprinter Carl Lewis and ex-gymnast Nadia Comaneci in a speedboat, before it was passed to tennis player Amelie Mauresmo.

The flame then lifted 30 metres into the Parisian night sky, the hot air balloon a nod to the French invention, as Celine Dion sung Hymne A l’Amour under the Eiffel Tower.

A tight rope walker performs in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony. Photo: AAP

Jessica Fox was in her element as Australia’s opening ceremony contingent copped a wet weather hammering in a soggy Olympic first in Paris.

Eighty of the 460-strong Australian contingent who chose to participate were completely soaked, Australia the third-last boat in the fleet in a nod to Brisbane’s 2032 hosting duties.

They didn’t seem to mind the weather – smiling, waving and dancing as they completed their journey almost two hours after Greece were first to go.

French president Emmanuel Macron admitted the plan for the river ceremony was very ambitious.

“At the beginning, it seemed to be a crazy and not very serious idea,” Macron said this week.

A heart made with red smoke by four planes floats in the air near Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony. Photo: AAP

Let the competition begin

Australian swimmers are expected to lead a golden charge as competition gets underway.

Australia has never won more than four gold medals in a single day of Olympic competition but that could be matched or even eclipsed on day one.

Australian flag bearers Jessica Fox and Eddie Ockenden will be straight into the action on day one.

In Tokyo three years ago, the Australian team won four gold medals in a single Olympic day for the first time, shining in the pool, on the open water and at the skate park.

Swimmer Emma McKeon started the gold rush when she won the 50m freestyle and then combined with Kaylee McKeown, Chelsea Hodges and Cate Campbell to take out the 4x100m medley relay.

Logan Martin dominated the men’s BMX freestyle before sailor Matt Wearne ensured a new Olympic green and gold benchmark.

Australian athletes are legitimate gold-medal chances in four of the 14 events decided in eight sports in Paris.

Another swimmer, Ariarne Titmus, is tipped to star.

The 23-year-old will open her medal campaign in what’s been dubbed the “race of the century”, with defending 400m freestyle Olympic champion Titmus taking on American legend Katie Ledecky and Canadian starlet Summer McIntosh.

The trio squared off at last year’s world championships, where Titmus won in world record time.

The quartet of Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Shayna Jack and Meg Harriswill start unbackable favourites to win gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay after shattering the world record last year.

The Australian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, anchored by Kyle Chalmers, doesn’t have the same star power as the women but a podium finish is still expected, though the United States start the event as overwhelming favourites.

Australia also has two genuine medal chances in the men’s 400m freestyle in 2023 world champion Sam Short and Queenslander Elijah Winnington, who won their Olympic trial.

Back at the 2000 Olympics, Ian Thorpe got the Games off to a blazing start when he streeted his rivals to win the 400m freestyle in world-record time before anchoring the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, also in a new world mark.

A silver and bronze medal at the velodrome then capped a remarkable opening day for Australia on home soil.

Away from the swimming in Paris, the women’s 3m synchronised diving will be decided with Rio bronze medallists Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney among the favourites after pocketing silver at this year’s world championships in Doha.

After placing fourth in Tokyo, cycling star Grace Brown is expected to be in the medal hunt in Saturday’s 32.4km road time trial.

The 32-year-old has won silver at the last two world championships but faces stiff competition from Dutch and American rivals.

Australia’s men’s rugby sevens team are also right in medal contention after an unbeaten start in Paris.

With their program getting underway before the opening ceremony, the men have booked a semi-final showdown with defending Olympic champions Fiji.

Cult skateboarding figure Shane O’Neill underperformed in Rio but the veteran could surprise in the men’s street event on Saturday, while Australia has gold medal hopes in the women’s equivalent and park discipline later in the Games.

Head coach hopeful

Swimming Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor knows lofty expectations surround Australia’s swimmers, but won’t make any predictions about medal counts.

Swimming Australia’s head coach Rohan Taylor is tight-lipped about any medal predictions.

“I don’t like to predict that in my mind, then you just get caught up in whether you’re ahead or behind,” Taylor said.

“Just sit back and let it happen.

“We’re very, very hopeful. We’ve got a team full of really competitive athletes who are striving to … go for it.

“We want to get as many medals as we can.”

Australian medal hopes

Ariarne Titmus is tipped to become just the second woman to win consecutive 400m freestyle gold medals at the Olympics in what’s been dubbed the “race of the decade”.

Titmus’ showdown with American legend Katie Ledecky, the most successful female swimmer ever, and Canadian teen Summer McIntosh is billed as a highlight race at the Paris pool.

Titmus is relishing the race: the trio have all held the 400m free world record in the past three years, with the benchmark currently owned by the Tasmanian-born ace.

“It’s more satisfying in my races that to win, I have to beat the greatest,” Titmus said.

“That gives me more satisfaction knowing that if I do win, it’s in the toughest field in the world.”

Titmus’ highly-anticipated race is scheduled just 10 minutes after the first swimming gold medal of the Paris Games is decided, in the men’s 400m freestyle.

* Sam Short and Elijah Winnington are major medal hopes in the men’s 400m freestyle while Australia’s red-hot 4x100m freestyle relay teams will also go for gold.

* Divers Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney will look to turn Rio bronze into gold in the women’s 3m synchronised springboard.

* The men’s rugby sevens are chasing a medal when they take on Olympic champions Fiji in the semi-finals.

* After placing fourth in Tokyo, cycling star Grace Brown is expected to be in the medal hunt in Saturday’s 32.4km road time trial.

Other Aussie action

* Jessica Fox opens her pursuit of what would be an historic treble with the opening round of women’s K1. The locals also want a piece of the bilingual Fox, but she is the pride of Australia.

* Skateboarder Shane O’Neill may have a Nike shoe named after him but Olympic success proved elusive in Toyko. He has another chance in the men’s street.

* The Kookaburras, including flag bearer Eddie Ockenden, take on Argentina in their first men’s hockey pool match.

* The Boomers have a tough task in their basketball pool opener against world powerhouse world No. 2 Spain.

* Winning two gold and two bronze medals in Tokyo, Australia’s rowers will kickstart their Paris campaign with the scullers first in the water.

– TND with AAP