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Céline Dion has arrived in Paris. It just so happens that’s where the 2024 Olympics kick off on Friday.
After weeks of rumours in the French press, Variety reported on Tuesday that the Quebec icon “looks set to make her return to the stage at the Olympic Games.”
Dion has not toured since 2020.
She announced her diagnosis of Moersch-Woltman syndrome, also known as stiff person syndrome, in 2022. The rare neurological and immune disease, which causes debilitating muscle spasms and hyper-rigidity, does not have a cure.
In June, she appeared at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas to announce the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round selection of Ivan Demidov.
That, however, was not the kind of performance for which she is known — something she spoke movingly about wanting to do again in the recent documentary I Am: Céline Dion.
“I’m going to go back onstage, even if I have to crawl,” she said.
Whether or not Dion performs during it, Friday’s opening ceremony is set to be the largest event in Olympic history. Instead of taking place inside a stadium, boats carrying the national delegations will proceed down the Seine with thousands of spectators watching along the way.
The ceremony will kick off at 7:30 p.m. local time in Paris (1:30 p.m. in Montreal) and be broadcast in Canada on CBC and CBC Gem.