The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics is going to be divisive, to say the least. Instead of confining the ceremony to a stadium, organizers chose to put the entire city on display for a sprawling, mixed-media spectacle that married pre-recorded, high-concept short films with live musical performances.
Celine Dion’s breathtaking opening ceremony performance is more incredible when you know her story
Goosebumps.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
By the end of the opening ceremony the whole thing was getting long in the tooth before Celine Dion served as the crescendo, delivering one of the most stirring and emotional performances in the history of Olympic opening ceremonies from the middle of the Eiffel Tower.
But there is so much more about why this is so significant that you might not know. The opening ceremony marked the first time in almost two years that Dion has performed in front of a crowd. In December of 2022 she revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, or SPS.
This rare neurological disorder effects approximately one in a million people, and results in muscle tightness, soreness that can border on debilitating, and in extreme cases can lead to spasms so pronounced it can lead to permanent changes to mobility or posture.
Dion has been raising awareness, as well as funds to research autoimmune neurological conditions like SPS. However, along with her diagnosis came the admission that SPS had begun affecting her vocal chords, making it difficult to sing.
So these games marked Dion returning, triumphantly, and bravely singing in front of a global audience numbering in the hundreds of millions. Without knowing with certainty if she could have a flare up of her illness, or whether her voice would hold up.
Absolute goosebumps, and a moment we’ll never forget.
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