Paris — Indonesia’s Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto attended the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, held on the Seine River in Paris around 7:30 PM local time on Friday, July 26, 2024, or 12:30 AM WIB on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
The Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony kicked off with a parade of participating nations, including Indonesia.
From his seat on the banks of the Seine, Prabowo stood up as the Indonesian contingent passed by. Despite the heavy rain in Paris, Prabowo, donning a transparent raincoat, waved to the athletes and the contingent, offering them words of encouragement.
“Indonesia!” announced the event host, introducing the Indonesian contingent.
Still in the same location, Prabowo greeted those around him with a two-handed wave.
Fourteen athletes from the Indonesian contingent participated in the parade, including Chef de Mission (CdM) Anindya Bakrie; judoka Maryam March Maharani as the flag bearer; cyclist Bernard Benjamin van Aert; and swimmers Azzahra Permatahani and Joe Aditya.
The Indonesian contingent looked sporty and elegant, wearing outfits designed by Didit Hediprasetyo, Prabowo’s only son, inspired by the story of Raden Saleh. The uniforms featured red and white hues and were complemented with Javanese blangkon.
The Paris 2024 opening ceremony is the first to be held outside the main stadium. Athletes paraded along the Seine River using a fleet of 85 boats.
The parade passed various beautiful landmarks of Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Olympic participants will compete from July 26, 2024, to August 11, 2024.