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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

Lady Gaga in Paris, sparking Olympic opening ceremony rumours

A video of Lady Gaga in Paris just days before the start of the Olympic Games has sparked rumours the US pop star could feature in Friday's opening ceremony.

Published: 23 July 2024 16:28 CEST
Lady Gaga in Paris, sparking Olympic opening ceremony rumours
US singer-songwriter Lady Gaga performs onstage during the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

The 38-year-old was seen arriving at a hotel in the French capital in videos posted on social media.

The music for the opening ceremony, to be held along the river Seine rather than in the athletics stadium for the first time in the history of the Olympics, is yet to be fully announced.

If Lady Gaga were to perform, it remains unclear which songs she would sing. The star is known for her ability to sing in French, as evidenced by her rendition of Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ in the film A Star is Born.

Franco-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura is widely tipped to perform despite criticism from far-right politicians, including Marine Le Pen who suggested an appearance by her would “humiliate” France.

Celine Dion has also been spotted in Paris, fuelling rumours she too could take part in either the opening or closing ceremony.

French electro superstars Daft Punk said they had turned down an invitation to play in the opening ceremony, while globe-trotting French DJ David Guetta has been overlooked — much to his irritation.

In the ceremony, around 6,000-7,000 athletes are set to sail down a six-kilometre stretch of the river Seine from the Austerlitz bridge in the east to the Eiffel Tower, on 85 barges and boats.

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PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS

France intercepting 6 drones daily near Olympic sites

French security forces guarding sites set to be used in the Paris Olympics are intercepting an average of six drones per day, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said.

Published: 23 July 2024 15:02 CEST
France intercepting 6 drones daily near Olympic sites

The miniature flyers are sometimes operated by “individuals, maybe tourists wanting to take pictures”, Attal said.

“That’s why it’s important to remind people of the rules. There’s a ban on flying drones,” he added during a visit to the event’s drone defence hub at Velizy-Villacoublay air base outside Paris.

READ MORE: Flying a drone in France: What you need to know

“Systems are in place to allow us to very quickly intercept (drones) and arrest their operators,” Attal said. “We can’t allow anything to slip past us.”

He highlighted several incidents around the Olympic village on Sunday. According to a member of Attal’s team, the communications chief of the Brazilian delegation was apprehended over operating a drone.

“Any unauthorised drone will be jammed,” said Stephane Groen, France’s general in charge of air defence, as Attal visited a control room where an aerial vehicle had been spotted over the Stade de France stadium.

The defenders’ job is particularly tricky as they must avoid the remote vehicles falling while a sporting event is underway.

Nevertheless, “if in doubt, we always jam” a drone, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said.

As well as drone defences, other forms of anti-aircraft defence are in place around Olympic sites.

Around 18,000 French troops have been deployed to secure the Olympics, 11,000 of them in the Ile-de-France region around Paris.

In a French first, airspace in a 150-kilometre radius around Paris will be completely closed on Friday evening during the opening ceremony.

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