The Macron couple welcomes the whole world before the opening ceremony

Reception of heads of state and government ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In Paris, the Olympic Games began on July 24, 2024, while waiting for the opening ceremony on July 26. A highly anticipated event that will be attended by 110 heads of state and government from around the world.

Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte greeted their guests as well as several leaders of international organizations, on the red carpet rolled out in the main courtyard of the palace, ahead of the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is imminent! A great historical show in which no fewer than 205 delegations are participating, and which takes place on the Seine this Friday, July 26 in the evening. Before this global spectacle, which kicks off the sporting event, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron welcomed some 85 foreign heads of state and government to the Élysée Palace on Friday, July 26.

All these dignitaries will then head to the Trocadéro around 6 p.m. to attend the river parade on the Seine.

This reception was an opportunity for France to deliver a message of peace and tolerance as 10,500 athletes from around the world will gather to participate in the largest international event.

Emmanuel Macron recalled that the opening of the Games is the culmination of seven years of ambitious and continuous collective work bringing together many national and local, public and private stakeholders, all committed to the excellence of the organization, its exemplary nature, but also to the usefulness and legacy of these Games for the French.

In this regard, the President expressed the pride and enthusiasm of the French people to now be able to experience these long-awaited Games, with the ambition of showcasing all of France, its natural and cultural heritage, its art of living and its top athletes, in front of more than four billion television viewers, including more than a billion for the opening ceremony alone.

All the presidential couple’s guests gathered in front of the Élysée Palace for a group photo, before heading to the Paris 2024 opening ceremony.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, parity in participation in the international Olympiad is equal between men and women.

Heads of State and Government

Mr. Edi RAMA, Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, and his wife, Mrs. Linda RAMA
Mr. Olaf SCHOLZ, Federal Chancellor of Germany, and his wife, Mrs. Britta ERNST
Mr. Xavier ESPOT ZAMORA, Head of Government of Andorra
Mr. Javier Gerardo MILEI, President of the Argentine Nation, and his sister and Secretary General of the Argentine Nation, Mrs. Karina Elizabeth MILEI
Mr. Vahagn KHATCHATURYAN, President of the Republic of Armenia
Mr. Karl NEHAMMER, Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria
His Majesty Philippe of Belgium, King of the Belgians, and his wife, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde d’UDEKEM d’ACOZ
Mr. Alexander de CROO, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, his wife, Mrs. Annik PENDERS
Mr. Denis BECIROVIC, President of the Presidential College of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and his wife, Ms. Mirela BECIROVIC
Ms. Rosângela da SILVA, First Lady of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Mr. Ruman RADEV, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, and his wife, Ms. Desislava RADEVA
Mr. José Maria PEREIRA NEVES, President of the Republic of Cape Verde
Mr. Paul BIYA, President of the Republic of Cameroon, and his wife, Ms. Chantal BIYA
Mr. Faustin Archange TOUADERA, President of the Central African Republic, and his wife, Ms. Tina Marguerite TOUADERA
Mr. Han ZHENG, Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China
Mr. Nikos CHRISTODOULIDES, President of the Republic of Cyprus, and his wife, Ms. Philippa KARSERA CHRISTODOULIDES
Mr. Gustavo PETRO URREGO, President of the Republic of Colombia, and his wife, Ms. Verónica ALCOCER GARCIA
Mr. Azali ASSOUMANI, President of the Union of the Comoros, and his wife, Mrs. Ambari AZALI
Sir Tom MARSTERS, Representative of the King in the Cook Islands, and his wife, Mrs. Tuaine MARSTERS
Mr. Robert Beugré MAMBE, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire
Mr. Andrej PLENKOVIC, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia
His Majesty Frederik X, King of Denmark, and his wife, Her Majesty Queen Mary Elizabeth DONALDSON
Mr. Ismael Omar GUELLEH, President of the Republic of Djibouti
His Majesty Felipe VI, King of Spain, and his wife, Her Majesty Queen Letizia ORTIZ ROCASOLANO
Mr. Alar KARIS, President of the Republic of Estonia, and his wife, Mrs. Sirje KARIS
Dr. Jill BIDEN, First Lady of the United States of America
Mrs. Sahle-Work ZEWDE, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Mr. Wiliame Maivalili KATONIVERE, President of the Republic of Fiji, and his wife, Mrs. Vilomena KUMETE KATONIVERE
Mr. Alexander STUBB, President of the Republic of Finland, and his wife, Mrs. Suzanne INNES-STUBB
Mr. Brice Oligui NGUEMA, President of the Gabonese Republic
Mrs. Salomé ZOURABICHVILI, President of Georgia, and her daughter, Mrs. Kethevane GORJESTANI
Mr. Irakli KOBAKHIDZE, Prime Minister of Georgia
Mr. Kyriakos MITSOTAKIS, Prime Minister of the Republic of Greece, and his wife, Mrs. Maria-Eva Virginia GRABOWSKI MISTOTAKIS
Mr. Amadou Oury BAH, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea, and his wife, Mrs. Fatimatou DIALLO BAH
Mr. Úmaro Sissoco EMBALO, President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Mr. Smith AUGUSTIN, President of the Transitional Presidential Council of the Republic of Haiti
Mr. Tamás SULYOK, President of the Republic of Hungary, and his wife, Mrs. Zsuzsanna NAGY
Mr. Prabowo SUBIANTO, President-elect of the Republic of Indonesia
Mr. Abdullatif Jamal RASHID, President of the Republic of Iraq, and his son, Mr. Asos Latif Jamal RASHID
Mr. Simon HARRIS, Prime Minister of Ireland, and his wife, Mrs. Caoimhe WADE HARRIS
Mr. Bjarni BENEDIKTSSON, Prime Minister of Iceland, and his wife, Mrs. Thóra Margrét BALDVINSDÓTTIR
Mr. Isaac HERZOG, President of the State of Israel, and his wife, Mrs. Michal HERZOG
Mr. Sadyr ZHAPAROV, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, and his wife, Ms Aigul ZHAPAROVA
Ms Vjosa OSMANI SADRIU, President of the Republic of Kosovo, and her husband, Mr Prindon SADRIU
Mr Albin KURTI, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, and his wife, Ms Rita AUGESTAD KURTI
Mr Netchirvan BARZANI, President of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, and his daughter, Ms Rania BARZANI
Mr Edgars RINKEVICS, President of the Republic of Latvia
Mr Najib MIKATI, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, and his wife, Ms May DOUMANI
Mr Mohamed Younis AL-MENFI, Chairman of the Presidential Council of the State of Libya
Mr Daniel RISCH, Head of Government of Liechtenstein, and his wife, Ms Jasmin SCHÄDLER RISCH
Mr Gitanas NAUSEDA, President of the Republic of Lithuania, and his wife, Mrs Diana NAUSEDIENE
His Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and his wife, Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa MESTRE
Mr Luc Joseph Bernard FRIEDEN, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and his wife, Mrs Marjolijne FORTUYN-FRIEDEN
Mr Andry Nirina RAJOELINA, President of the Republic of Madagascar, and his wife, Mrs Mialy RAJOELINA

Mr. Robert ABELA, Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, and his wife, Mrs. Lydia ABELA
Mr. Aziz AKHANNOUCH, Prime Minister of Morocco
Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh EL GHAZOUANI, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Mrs. Maia SANDU, President of the Republic of Moldova
His Serene Highness Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco, and his wife, Her Serene Highness Charlene
Mr. Ukhnaa KHURELSUKH, President of Mongolia, and his wife, Mrs. Luvsandorj BOLORTSETSEG
Mr. Jakov MILATOVIC, President of Montenegro, and his wife, Mrs. Milena MILATOVIC
Mr. Milojko SPAJIC, Prime Minister of Montenegro
Dame Alcyion Cynthia KIRO, Governor-General of New Zealand, and her husband, Mr. Richard Andrew DAVIES
Mr. Santiago PENA PALACIOS, President of the Republic of Paraguay, and his wife, Mrs. Leticia OCAMPOS
His Majesty Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands
Mr. Dick SCHOOF, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and his wife, Mrs. Loes MEURS
Mr. Andrezj DUDA, President of the Republic of Poland
Mr. Marcelo Rebelo DE SOUSA, President of the Portuguese Republic
His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AL THANI, Emir of the State of Qatar, and the Head of the Amiri Diwan, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman AL THANI
Mr. Petr FIALA, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, and his wife, Mrs. Jana FIALOVA
Mr. Klaus WERNER IOHANNIS, President of Romania, and his wife, Mrs. Carmen IOHANNIS
Mr. Keir STARMER, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Mr. Paul KAGAME, President of the Republic of Rwanda, and his wife, Mrs. Jeanette KAGAME
Mr. Alessandro ROSSI, Captain Regent of the Republic of San Marino
Ms. Milena GASPERONI, Captain Regent of the Republic of San Marino
Mr. Patrice Emery TROVOADA, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, and his wife, Mrs. Nana TROVOADA
Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE, President of the Republic of Senegal, and his wife, Mrs. Absa FAYE
Mr. Aleksandar VUCIC, President of the Republic of Serbia
Mr. Julius Maada BIO, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Mr. Tharman SHANMUGARATNAM, President of the Republic of Singapore, and his wife, Mrs. Jane Yumiko ITTOGI
Mr. Peter PELLEGRINI, President of the Slovak Republic
Ms. Natasa PIRC MUSAR, President of the Republic of Slovenia, and her husband, Mr Aleš MUSAR
Mr Robert GOLOB, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, and his wife, Ms Tina GABER
Ms Viola Patricia AMHERD, President of the Swiss Confederation
Mr Constantino CHIWENGA, Vice-President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and his wife, Ms Miniyothabo BALOYI CHIWENGA Representatives of international organisations:
Mr Antonio GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), and his wife, Ms Catarina VAZ PINTO
Ms Christine LAGARDE, President of the European Central Bank (ECB)
Mr Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, and his wife, Ms Amélie DERBAUDRENGHIEN
Mr Margarítis SCHINAS, Vice-President of the European Commission
Mr Moussa FAKI, Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission
Mr. Mathias CORMAN, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Ms. Louise MUSHIKIWABO, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)
Dr. Tedros ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and his wife, Ms. Kidist Meresa KEBEDE
Ms. Audrey AZOULAY, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Mr. Filippo GRANDI, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Mr. Ghada WALY, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Ms. Sima Sami BAHOUS, Executive Director of UN Women, and her husband, Mr. Ziad RIFAI
Ms. Bariza KHIARI, President of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH)
Mr. Thomas BACH, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and his wife, Ms. Claudia BACH
Mr. Andrew PARSONS, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and his wife, Ms. Marcela PARSONS

Representatives of the sports world:

Lieutenant General Jibril RAJOUB, President of the Palestinian Football Federation and the National Olympic Committee of the Palestinian Authority

Mr. Tony ESTANGUET, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee (COJOP)

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