PARIS, France — The Paris Olympics are putting on an Opening Ceremony on Friday unlike any we've seen before, highlighted by Olympic nation contingents riding on boats down the River Seine to be introduced.
The first country to give us this new Olympic sight was, as always, Greece.
But why Greece? Why does Greece always go first at the Olympic opening ceremonies?
It's basically just a little Olympic tradition that gives a nod to ancient Greece's historic role in the Olympics. Here's a bit more:
Why does Greece go first in the Olympic Opening Ceremony?
Ancient Greece originated the Olympic Games. The Paris Olympics website outlines a bit of the history:
The history of the Games goes back around 3,000 years, to the Peloponnese in Ancient Greece. Sports contests organised at Olympia took place every four years and acquired the name Olympic Games.
Click through to that website for a bit more detail on the Olympic origins, but the description adds that a roughly accepted start date for the beginning of the ancient Olympics is 776 BC.
When the modern Olympics were first organized in 1896, they were held in Athens, Greece as a way to link the traditions of the ancient Olympics to the modern Olympic Games.
Since then at most Olympics, Greece has entered the Parade of Nations first. One notable exception is 2004 -- when Greece again hosted the Olympics in Athens. That year, they went last as the host country.