And suddenly, after nearly four hours of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the American TV channel NBC went silent, on Friday, July 26, with only a few quiet sobs. Céline Dion has just finished her rendition Edith Piaf's "L'Hymne à l'amour," from the Eiffel Tower, and singer Kelly Clarkson – one of the commentators for the show on the historic US broadcaster of the Olympics – was left speechless, overwhelmed by emotion.

The American TV commentators said the ceremony was "extraordinary," a sentiment generally shared in the international media. The Los Angeles Times, which was particularly watchful, as LA is set to host the 2028 Games, could only note that France had set the bar very high: "Paris 2024 has begun and the French – the people who produce the world's most delicious cheese, finest haute couture and countless other exquisite creations – have delivered what may be the most unique opening ceremony in the history of the Olympic Games."

The Californian daily's journalists who following the ceremony live were delighted by a "very French" performance: "A fashion show in the middle of the opening ceremonies! With the as-yet-unlit Eiffel Tower in the background. A little campy, super chic and very French." Here's more: "Well I can't be sure but I think that's the first ménage-a-trois to be featured in an opening ceremony. How very French." And they made a rare jab at the inclement weather: "This event had a reported budget of $150 million, which is a lot of money yet not enough to avoid condensation on the camera lens."

There was no shortage of superlatives. The Swiss paper La Tribune de Genève wrote: "Paris is magical, fairytale-like, Olympic. This Friday evening, the exceptional setting of the Seine and its goldsmiths' quays was the setting for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games. An unprecedented first outside a sports venue. When the audacity and genius of our neighbors manage to take the world's biggest event to the next stage." Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said: "One thing is certain: this show will go down in history." The Washington Post wrote that Paris "demonstrated that bold thinking could bring a certain shine back to a global sporting event that has seen its popularity slump in recent years."

But "it was all about determination in the face of adversity," summarized The Guardian. Rain forced organizers to "scale back some elements" of the show, noted the Financial Times, which also mentioned "the shadow" cast by the sabotage of railroad lines earlier in the day, while the New York Times reminded its readers of "the ongoing political crisis" in France.

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