Olympics chiefs suffered an embarrassing technical glitch as a jumbo screen cut out during the rain-soaked opening ceremony in Paris. Fans hoping to see Andy Murray and his Team GB colleagues on one of the screens were left disappointed as the elements ruined what should have been a fantastic event.
Rainfall in Paris grew increasingly heavier as the four-hour ceremony proceeded. Fans from all over the globe travelled into the French capital to see the athletes, watching on giant screens in front of the Eiffel Tower.
However, people hoping to catch a glimpse of tennis star Murray ahead of his final competitive appearance, or any of the Scot’s Team GB heroes, were unable to do so. That is because the rain caused one of the screens to blow out only an hour into the ceremony.
The downpour was so heavy that it seemed to cause an outage, prompting the giant screen to switch off. It came just before Team GB were due to appear on the feed.
Murray was one of the Team GB athletes accompanying torchbearers Tom Daley and Helen Glover during the ceremony on the River Seine. The 37-year-old is calling it quits on his tennis career after the tennis tournament at the Olympics, which is to be played at the French Open’s Roland Garros home.
The ceremony split opinion among viewers, who complained that the sound quality was being affected by the rain. A video message from French football icon Zinedine Zidane kicked off the procession, before Lady Gaga performed in French.
All scenes were pre-recorded, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Lady Gaga wrote on social media: “I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year.
“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.”
French officials took a risk in bringing the opening ceremony to the city centre. Previous host cities have conducted them inside stadiums where fans are protected from the weather. London 2012’s opening ceremony took place inside the Olympic Stadium.
The opening ceremony is believed to have cost around £100million. That is four times’ the price paid for the London Games 12 years ago.