10 Fun, Viral Moments from the Opening Weekend of the Olympics
Here's a rundown of some of the fun, viral moments from the opening weekend of the Summer Olympics in Paris.
1. Celine Dion's comeback performance was a highlight of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. It was Celine's first performance since she announced her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome in 2022. (Here's video. And there are reactions, here.)
2. Snoop Dogg was a torch bearer. (Snoop and Hoda Kotb also danced together to Lady Gaga's performance.)
3. Overall, the Opening Ceremony went off without a hitch . . . aside from the RAIN. This was the first time it's rained during an Olympics Opening Ceremony since 1952. (Here's a clip of Team USA's arrival.)
4. Some viewers THOUGHT there was an embarrassing X-rated wardrobe malfunction during the Opening Ceremony . . . when a male performer was shown with what LOOKED like one of his "family jewels" showing.
(Warning: Here's an UNCENSORED photo which LOOKS naughty.)
He's not an Olympic athlete. He was a background performer for Philippe Katerine, a French singer-songwriter.
However, it turned out to be an optical illusion (or maybe just some wishful thinking). (???) It was actually just a round hole in the man's tights.
5. Oh and there was a gaffe: South Korea was announced as "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," which is the full name of NORTH Korea. The South Korean sports ministry has said it planned to submit a "strong complaint with France on a government level" over the error. The IOC has apologized.
6. There was the usual arty weirdness that shows up at these ceremonies, but nothing was cooler than the metal horse that "rode" down the River Seine.
7. Australia's Ariarne Titmus accidentally stole American Katie Ledecky's swimming lane before the 400-meter freestyle. Then, she stole the gold medal from Katie, who got the bronze. (Team USA's first gold medal was the men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay. Here's America's National Anthem playing for the first time.)
8. Speaking of swimming, here's "Bob the Cap Catcher," who went viral after (American) swimmer Emma Weber lost her cap in the pool. Bob went in after it . . . in just a skimpy little speedo. Obviously, he quickly became an INTERNET ICON. It's unclear if he's already scored a movie deal . . . or if they're still negotiating.
9. 9News.com has a list of the FUNNIEST Olympic social media posts from the weekend, and it includes this: "General LeBron James crossing the Delaware."
10. Beyoncé introduced the athletes that make up the American team in a promotional video . . . and Simone Biles dug it.
Originally posted on July 29th, 2024