Olympics opening ceremony divides opinion as athletes dudded by 'horrible' move in Paris

Paris didn't exactly win over the world with its unique parade of nations in the opening ceremony at the Olympics, with fans panning the spectacle and rough weather making it difficult for athletes and spectators. The Olympic Games were officially opened on Saturday morning (Aussie time) as athletes were paraded down the River Seine on boats - a different take on the usual stadium ceremony.

Rather than restrict the showpiece event to the confines of a stadium, one of the world's most beautiful cities was the backdrop as Paris welcomed the world's best athletes. Over 200 boats carried athletes down the world-famous river, accompanied by a showcase of Parisian music and culture.

But the weather didn't come to the party, with athletes and spectators copping a drenching at various stages. The rough weather forced some spectators to ditch the event altogether, with many seen leaving before the halfway mark of the four-hour event.

The unique opening ceremony proved very divisive, with many panning the disjointed coverage and complaining it went way too long. One of the biggest gripes was the lack of air-time the athletes received, with the majority of the focus on the performances rather than the competitors. Viewers only saw glimpses of the athletes from wide camera angles, and many complained there wasn't enough focus placed on the stars of the Games.

Olympics opening ceremony panned by viewers around world

A massive frustration for Australian fans was waiting until the third-last boat to see the Aussie athletes, with many waking up at 3am only to have to wait three hours to see them. Australia is usually near the start of the parade of nations, but because Brisbane is hosting the 2032 Olympics we were moved towards the back.

France was the last boat, preceded by the USA (hosting the 2028 Olympics) and Australia (hosting the 2032 Games). Organisers decided to put the next hosts of the Games towards the back before France, meaning Aussie viewers waited an age to get a glimpse of the athletes.

"Anyone else in Australia regret waking up at 3.30am to watch THE MOST BORING OPENING CEREMONY OF ALL TIME?" one person wrote on social media. Leading tennis writer Jose Morgado said: "Gosh this is horrible weather for everybody involved. Especially for the athletes who have to compete soon…" Another viewer wrote: "Enjoying France's plan of ensuring every athlete gets a horrible cold as they ride down a river for hours in the pouring rain before the events even start."

Others thought the athletes being on boats meant the flag-bearers didn't really get their special moment, and the ceremony being outside in the open meant there was no roar of the crowd when they entered the stadium like they normally would. "I’m sorry but this has to be the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory," one viewer wrote. "It’s an interesting idea bringing the athletes in on boats but it looks rubbish and misses the roar of the crowd. Sorry but not for me."

Another added: "Feel a bit sorry for the flag bearers! Such an honour for them but lost amongst everyone else!" And a third wrote: "The boat idea was great, the execution television wise was horrible. Why where were like two seconds of half the athletes, some of them not even clearly visible cause of rain or stuff in the middle."

Another comment read: "This is horrible. Athletes shots are distant, this is supposed to be about them, not the boats and the special effects. Worst athletes parade ever."

However others loved the opening ceremony and thought it was a refreshing change to what we normally witness. "France doesn’t care about a little rain. Look at this amazing show. Loving this in Australia," another person wrote. Another added: "I don’t know why people are hating on the opening ceremony. I think it’s been awesome. They did something different and it worked. Too bad it’s raining though but the show must go on."

French president Emmanuel Macron earlier 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. "But we decided it was the right moment to deliver this crazy idea and make it real."

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Thankfully the final 30 minutes of the ceremony completely redeemed it. Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams helped carry the Olympic flame, with the cauldron attached to a hot-air balloon that lifted off into the Paris night.