The Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony featured a variety of captivating visuals, from Minions to a decapitated Marie Antoinette and a Smurf-blue Dionysus, igniting many conversations online.
One captivating moment involved a masked individual carrying the Olympic torch throughout the event.
The mysterious figure, dressed in a black cloak with a hood and a fencing mask concealing their face, was seen running across Parisian rooftops, ziplining over the Seine, and delivering the Olympic flame to famous landmarks such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre.
The last stop was at the Place du Trocadéro, where they handed the torch to the French football legend Zinedine Zidane before leaving the scene without revealing themselves. Zidane went on to pass the torch to Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal.
The identity of this enigmatic character was disclosed the day after the ceremony when French free-running champion Simon Nogueir acknowledged his involvement in an Instagram post, stating, “I obviously wasn’t everywhere. Other incredible artists also hid on this character,” accompanied by a photo of himself in the mask.
He deleted the post soon after.
Nogueira, known for his daring feats, had previously climbed the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral just five months before a fire broke out on its roof in April 2019.
As an accomplished acrobat and photographer, Nogueira has collaborated with prestigious brands like Saint Laurent, Netflix, Reebok, and PlayStation. He has also portrayed characters from Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate in promotional videos for Ubisoft.
The masked figure’s performance at the Olympics left some viewers commenting, “Assassin’s creed character? Is that you?”
Clement Dumais, the 2019 Chase Tag World Champion and a seven-time Ninja Warrior finalist, revealed that a total of 12 individuals wore the mask during the ceremony.
He clarified, “Relax, I didn’t say it was me. I will do a live in one year to tell you the truth.” Dumais also praised Nogueira, saying, “For the part on the roofs, it was obviously the goat Simon Nogueira.”
IOL Lifestyle