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The 33rd Olympic Games grandly opened on July 26 in the French capital of Paris. Thousands of athletes of different national teams cruised down the Seine River on 85 boats, with artistic performances staged in the open air along the river. This marked the first time in the history of modern Olympics that the Games' opening ceremony was moved out of a stadium and took place in the heart of the host city.

The boat carrying members of the delegations from Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile and China passes by the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 26, 2024. (Photo/Xinhua)

However, similar scenes were reported in Guangzhou 14 years ago.

On the night of November 12, 2010, the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games kicked off in Guangzhou.

Forty-six boats carrying athlete delegations and officials of the Olympic Council of Asia paraded through the Pearl River, warmly greeted by rousing cheers from hundreds of thousands of spectators watching from both banks of the river. They finally arrived at the Haixinsha island, the main opening venue of the Games that was designed in the shape of a giant vessel.

Taking the Pearl River as the stage and the city as the backdrop, the water-themed opening ceremony incorporated elements such as fountain, ship, tower, as well as extraordinary firework displays and dazzling sound and light effects, showcasing the vitality and charm of Guangzhou and the country to the world.

The innovative opening of the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games made China the first in the world to take the opening ceremony of an intercontinental comprehensive sports event outside its traditional stadium setting to broad urban spaces.

Another memorable moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony was an armored horsewoman galloping atop a metal horse and carrying the Olympic Flag across the Seine River. 

(Photo/Xinhua)

Likewise, during the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China's dragon boat team leader Wu Guochong, the first of the last five torchbearers, ran onto the main stage at Haixinsha island straight from the Pearl River.

Torchbearer and China's dragon boat team leader Wu Guochong is seen running on the Pearl River during the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, November 12, 2010. (Photo/Xinhua)

The two metropolises Paris and Guangzhou both took the lead in transforming the ideas of opening major international sporting events and made great efforts to make the Games wide open.

Source: Guangzhou Daily

Author: Pauline