Australians watching the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics are scratching their heads, having mistakenly thought they had missed their country’s entrance on Channel Nine’s broadcast.
The participating nations sailed across the city’s Seine River, a radical departure from previous Olympic ceremonies. The nations were listed in alphabetical order, based on their French names. The Australians were puzzled, however, as the green and gold team were not on screen early in the ceremony.
When countries like the Bahamas and Bahrain came into view, viewers took to social media to express their confusion and anger that their countries had been left out of the action.
Some Australians thought they had missed the team performances because the vision had switched to a performance by Lady Gaga, while others felt the athletes had been left out altogether.
However, the Aussies were missing from early coverage as the team became the third nation to arrive, as Brisbane will host the Games in 2032.
Olympic protocol dictates that prospective hosts always arrive towards the end of the opening ceremony, with the host country arriving last. So this year, the last three countries to arrive are the Australians, followed by the United States, since Los Angeles is hosting in 2028, and finally France.
“I’m watching the opening ceremony and Cambodia is floating down the river at the moment but I haven’t seen Team Australia yet. Where the hell are they? Or did I just miss it?” wrote one viewer on X.
‘Did I miss Australia? I fell asleep between boats and the next thing I know I’m watching a weird Gaga performance,’ another commented.
Australian viewers reacted strongly on social media when countries beginning with the letter B drove along the Seine in Paris during the opening ceremony, with many believing their country had been left out of the TV coverage.
The broadcast cut to a performance by Lady Gaga (pictured) as many viewers thought they would see the Australian team arrive
However, the Australian team (pictured before the ceremony) is the third-to-last team to arrive on the River Seine, as Brisbane will host the Games in 2032.
‘I didn’t see Australia on the French Olympic Opening Ceremony broadcast and they are on B’s [countries starting with B] …was Aus skipped?’ asked a third.
‘What happened to Australia in the opening ceremony?!? I thought it was in French alphabetically,’ added another.
“Did I miss the #Australia boat or did that part clash with the entertainment?” asked another viewer.
However, some Australians discovered the reason for the delay.
“I was wondering if they missed Australia at the opening ceremony because of Lady Gaga, but it turns out it’s because we are the future hosts,” wrote one commenter.
There were frequent interruptions in the view of the boats, to switch to music and dance performances and to some of the famous sights of the City of Light, such as the Louvre and Notre Dame. But that did not mean that countries were skipped.
However, the wet weather somewhat diminished the shine of the event.
The unique French plan to hold the opening event outdoors rather than in a stadium led to problems, as Parisians, celebrities, politicians and members of the royal family from around the world had to take shelter from the horrendous rain.
The carefully choreographed open-air parade kicked off at 3:30am AEST, with an incredible performance from American superstar Lady Gaga, who wowed the crowd with a stunning Folie Bergiere, entirely in French.
Pictured: Boats full of athletes sail down the City of Light’s famous river – Australia is nowhere to be seen until the end of the ceremony
The wet weather took some of the shine off the unique French take on the opening ceremony, but there was still plenty of spectacular scenery for viewers to enjoy
The French tricolour flew on the Pont d’Austerlitz bridge as 6,800 athletes, clad in plastic ponchos, tried to keep the spirits up as they sailed along the famous waterway in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Meteorologists who predicted that the unusually rainy weather in July would be a “disaster” for the outdoor ceremony appear to have been proven right, as the heavy showers drowned out the music for spectators at home.
Meanwhile, it appeared that the screen at the Trocadéro, where thousands of spectators had gathered, had failed due to the gloomy weather.
Instead of people enjoying the Parisian sun in shorts and T-shirts, the streets were lined with umbrellas and spectators – including celebrities – wore ponchos to protect themselves from the rain.