# What is the most memorable Olympic opening ceremony moment?

> Arrows, jet packs, cauldrons that behaved and one that did not. Every couple of years a host city tries to top the last.

*By YPB Team · Published August 2, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-most-memorable-olympic-opening-ceremony-moment*

---

## Current results (0 votes)

1. **Muhammad Ali lights the cauldron**
   Ali, his hands shaking from Parkinson's, lit the flame at Atlanta 1996 in front of a stadium that had not known who the final torchbearer would be.
2. **The archer's flaming arrow**
   Antonio Rebollo shot a lit arrow toward the cauldron to open Barcelona 1992.
3. **Beijing 2008's 2,008 drummers**
   Zhang Yimou opened the Beijing Games with 2,008 synchronised fou drummers.
4. **Cathy Freeman lights the water**
   Freeman stood in a ring of water as the cauldron rose around her at Sydney 2000.
5. **The Paris 2024 river parade**
   Athletes sailed down the Seine in the first opening ceremony held outside a stadium.
6. **Rio 2016's rainforest pledge**
   Every athlete planted a seed as part of a ceremony built around climate change.
7. **The Korean joint march**
   North and South Korea walked behind one flag at Sydney 2000.
8. **Yuna Kim lights the flame**
   The figure skater lit the cauldron at PyeongChang 2018 after skating on a rink built into the stage.
9. **Vancouver's malfunctioning cauldron**
   One of the four arms of the indoor cauldron failed to rise at Vancouver 2010.
10. **The Sochi ring that didn't open**
   Four of the five snowflakes became Olympic rings at Sochi 2014; the fifth stayed shut.
11. **Los Angeles 1984's rocket man**
   A man in a jet pack landed in the Coliseum to open the 1984 Games.

Tags: sports, olympics, performances