Fans noticed the same mistake with the Olympic flag during the 2024 opening ceremonies in Paris, France on Friday.
Millions around the world tuned in tonight to watch the thrilling kickoff to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The opening ceremony has been generally well-received by critics, although many quickly noticed an embarrassing issue regarding the raising of the Olympic flag.
Four officers of the Republican Guard, part of France’s National Gendarmerie, raised the flag. As they were doing so, folks on X/Twitter realized that the flag was actually being raised upside down.
Note that the top row of the actual logo (from left to right) consists of the blue, black and red rings. The bottom row features the yellow ring on the left, with the green ring on the right:
Here’s the video of the officers raised the flag, along with the (many) realizations from fans who tuned in:
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral Olympics stories via Google! Follow Us
More than 10,000 athletes worldwide are competing in this year’s Olympics which run until Aug. 11. These athletes will compete in 32 different sports, including basketball, boxing, fencing, rugby sevens, swimming, archery and wrestling.
The 2024 Summer Olympics mark the first time that the Summer Games will be held in France since 1924. The French city of Albertville hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics 32 years ago.
Paris also hosted the 1900 Summer Olympics, the second Olympic Games held in modern history.
About The Olympic Flag
As detailed on the Olympics.com official website, the Olympic flag was designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and remains in use over a century later. The five rings represent the five continents and countries “united by Olympism”, the website notes.
de Coubertin developed a keen interest on ancient Greece and the Ancient Olympic Games that are believed to have started around 776 BC. de Coubertin created the International Olympic Committee and brought back the modern Olympic games that the world celebrates today.
