Inside The Games delves deep, providing you with the best moments from the Parisian pageant...

On the stands of the improvised Trocadero Stadium, next to the imposing Eiffel Tower, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, arrived. This was the moment chosen to push the button to start the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Everything was ready, everything was in place. 

Nearly 320,000 privileged spectators crowded the banks of the Seine and all those who peered out of the windows of the buildings and the famous Parisian attics. The rain continued throughout the day but seemed to take a break when the boats carrying the delegations began to parade. Then it came back.

The ceremony began at 19:30 CEST when the first boat carrying athletes representing Greece emerged from behind the curtain that fell from the Pont d'Austerlitz over the Seine. This was in honour of what Greece represents and the Olympic tradition as the founder of the Olympic Games. 

The boat carrying the refugee team followed, marking a fundamental element that has changed the Olympic spirit. Albania, Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda... There were 18 boats in the first series. And suddenly... Lady Gaga appeared on the scene. Dressed in black, the New York actress immersed herself in the spectacle singing in French and playing piano on the banks of the Seine.

The ceremony was conceived as a kind of play, with a prologue and twelve chapters, appealing to tradition, history and equality, and celebrating the history of France. The promotional video told the story of the previous torch relays: French football legend Zinedine Zidane walked through the streets of Paris to hand the torch to children, who then passed it on to a relay runner who crossed the rooftops.

The banks of the Seine turned pink as 80 dancers performed on an improvised stage. It was a small tribute to the Moulin Rouge. The masked torchbearer went from one building to another on a cable car as the parade continued.

The second chapter was called "Synchronisation" and was dedicated to the workers who built the various sports facilities. The torchbearers demonstrated how the medals were made. These were the symbols of the Games. The medals arrived in a trunk.

Throughout the ceremony, there were constant references to French culture. The third chapter, entitled "Liberte", recalled the freedom that led the people during the French Revolution and a passage through the Reign of Terror in France, with the chords of Bizet's opera Carmen. 

The triumph of love was staged on the bridge by actors in colourful costumes balancing on flexible poles and a tightrope walker high above the city.

The next chapter, "Egalite", continued the spectacle. The ceremony took on a different tone with the performance of Aya Nakamura. The Franco-Malian singer, the most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world, sang a song dressed in gold.

The mysterious torchbearer continued his journey through the Louvre Museum, with characters from the artworks coming to life to take part in the ceremony. The next chapter was "Fraternite".

In the second part of the parade, the torches of Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Korea (one of the largest), El Salvador (who have never won an Olympic medal), the UAE, Ecuador, Eritrea and Spain (with more women than men in the delegation) made their way down the Seine.

The rain did not let up and the ceremony continued under heavy downpours, just as it had in the morning and hours before the show began. But the Parade continued. Great Britain, one of the most prolific medal winners in Olympic history, was mentioned, and the ceremony gave a nod to video games and animation, all while staging a supposed robbery of the world's most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. 

The painting ended up floating in the Seine as the French anthem was played, paying tribute to ten French women who have made history for the country. Sculptures emerged from the Seine, all accompanied by singer Axelle Saint-Cirel's rendition of the French anthem from the roof of the Palais des Lettres. She was backed by a choir of 34 women.

From bridge to bridge, the 'sportive' chapter arrived, with 19 other delegations parading. Platforms simulating the gardens of Versailles appeared on the Seine, representing tradition. Athletes from modern sports such as BMX cycling and skateboarding mixed tradition with modernity.

Then came the homage to fashion, "Festivite". A kind of fashion show where characters of all kinds paraded, evoking the diversity of French society. During this part, the Israeli delegation of athletes sailed down the Seine, followed shortly afterwards by the Palestinian delegation.

The story continued with the appearance of the mysterious torch-bearer on the catwalk. His identity was still hidden, adding to the intrigue and suspense.

One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the ceremony came around 22:00, when the boat carrying the French delegation, which closed the parade, appeared. Greece opened the parade and France closed it. There were links with Tahiti, where the surfing events will take place.

The rain did not let up and the last part of the ceremony became a great spectacle of choreography, music, dance, images and lights. As night fell, the last third of the ceremony took place in the dark, as planned. The first two-thirds had taken place in daylight.

As the end approached, it was time for a song that has become the Olympic anthem: John Lennon's "Imagine", performed by singer and pianist Juliette Armanet.

Then came the last part, when the torch began to be seen. In an unprecedented spectacle, a rider on a metal horse crossed the Seine in the middle of the night. The rider, wrapped in the Olympic flag, with music to heighten the emotion, had huge wings symbolising peace between nations.

As if by magic, the horseman appeared in the Trocadero, where the flags of all the nations formed a passageway. The most awaited moment of the evening arrived when the raising of the flag and the playing of the Olympic anthem, while the hooded figure waited. The participants were eager to know who he was, and finally...

The last chapter of the ceremony script was called "Solemnite". It was in this part that the most emotional moments took place. In recognition of the world's refugees, the Olympic laurels were awarded to Philippo Grandi.

The end came, but not before the protocol speeches. Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, and Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, emphasised peace and solidarity between nations and the dreams that the Olympic Games represent. They welcomed the athletes to the Games and encouraged everyone to dream of living in peace.

The mysterious hooded figure handed the torch to Zinedine Zidane, who passed it on to Rafael Nadal. The Spanish tennis player is a Parisian icon with 14 victories at Roland Garros, chosen as one of his last tournaments. Nadal's appearance came as a surprise.

Nadal again boarded a boat with the torch. He was accompanied by sports legends such as Carl Lewis, Serena Williams and Nadia Comacini. Nadal handed the torch to Amelie Mauresmo, who passed it on to Tony Parker.

"Eternite" was the final episode of the theatre script, in which the last relay took place. Three Paralympic athletes took part in the relay. They ran through the Tuileries Gardens, where the Olympic flame will rest during the Games. They passed the torch from champion to champion.

The final relay was a double act, with Teddy Riner and Marie-Jo Perec. The flame was lit and released into the Paris sky in a balloon. Celine Dion's voice sang the anthem of love in the background. Let the Games begin!