Samsung Brings Fans Closer to Athletes Than Ever for Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony

Who said an Olympic Opening Ceremony must happen inside a stadium? In a night of firsts, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 officially kicked off with a historic ceremony on the Seine River — and Samsung Electronics, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, provided the groundbreaking innovation that made it so special.

To bring fans closer to the action than ever before, Samsung installed more than 200 Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones on the 85 athlete boats taking part in the Opening Ceremony. The event was livestreamed through a private 5G network powered by Orange (the official mobile network provider for Paris 2024 in France).

▲Team Kenya athlete shares a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

Fans tuning into the broadcast were given a closer look at an already unique celebration of the Olympic spirit in the 2024 host city of Paris. Those who watched the Opening Ceremony could experience the event from the athletes’ point of view as they shared scenes from this memorable ceremony using their Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition smartphones.

▲Team Australia athlete shares a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

Samsung collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to create a meaningful night for athletes and fans — requiring extensive planning with various Olympic partners for real-time footage streams, seamless 5G connectivity and other technology support.

The opening ceremony livestream is just one of several ways Samsung is sharing the excitement from Paris 2024 with the world. The sailing competition in Marseille and Victory Selfies will also bring fans closer to the Olympic Games. For a brand-new view of the sailing competition in Marseille, Samsung is installing Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones to the boats and on the athletes’ shoulders. Furthermore, medalists can capture their emotions with Victory Selfies using the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition provided at the podium.

▲ Team Korea athletes share their experience with fans with their new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

More than 100 experts, 250 phones and 360 days of testing made delivering these moments possible. The efforts to enhance the viewing experience for fans around the world were all part of Paris 2024’s vision of ‘Games Wide Open.’ Through its mobile innovations, Samsung will inspire Paris 2024 athletes and fans to keep an open mind because ‘Open always wins.’

▲ Team Japan athletes share a selfie with fans with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Team Guatemala athlete shares lifelong memory with fans with his new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Team Refugee athletes share their experience with fans with their new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones placed on boat to offer a unique view of the Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on boat to offer a unique view of the Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team GB boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team Romania boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung

▲ Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra placed on the bow of the Team Senegal boat during the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony. Photo credit: Getty / Samsung