Why is the US Olympic team so late in the opening ceremony parade?

(NEXSTAR) – The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris included musical performances, can-can dancing, a fashion show and a boat parade of the athletes down the Seine River. Those looking to spot their favorite athletes on Team USA had to wait a long time.

The delegations were sent down the river in alphabetical order by their name in French. The U.S. is called “États-Unis” in French, but American athletes were nowhere to be found among the other “E” countries. They weren’t with the “U” countries either.

The U.S. went second-to-last in the boat parade because we’ll be hosting the next summer games in 2028, right in sunny Los Angeles. Australia also went close to the end (third to last) because they’ll be hosting in 2032.

As the host country, France closes out the parade by going last.

Using the Seine as a backdrop, the opening ceremonies have been billed as the most sprawling and elaborate Olympic party ever. Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes paraded on more than 90 boats nearly 4 miles down the Seine River.

“An opening ceremony has never been held outside of a stadium. There is no model; it’s absolute creation,” Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the opening events recently told The Associated Press .

The French have spent close to a decade working to clean the river in preparation for these games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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