Why does Greece go first at the Olympics? What to know about parade of nations tradition

Anyone watching the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics saw Greece's athletes sail out onto the Seine River ahead of the rest of the countries competing.

Why did Greece go first? Because it is the birthplace of the Olympic Games and holds this honor at every Olympics.

"It was at Amsterdam 1928 that the tradition of the Greek delegation marching first was introduced – owing to the status of the founding country of the ancient Olympic Games," the official Olympics website reads.

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Greece also kicked off the tradition of the host nation coming out last, something that first happened during a special non-official 1906 edition of the Games held in Greece. On April 22 that year, the German delegation led a march of athletes and flag bearers into the Panathenaic Stadium, according to the Olympics website. Greece entered last as the host nation, beginning the tradition that stands today.

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Order of countries in Olympic opening ceremony

The order of the parade of nations after Greece is determined by the French spelling of their country names. Germany is Allemagne in French, for example, so it goes with the As, not the Gs. The only exceptions are the United States, which is Etats-Unis in French but goes second-to-last because it is hosting the next Summer Games, and France, because it’s the host country. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo makes history as flag bearer for Greece

Ahead of the opening ceremony, Antetokounmpo spoke to the Olympic News Service about what it means for him to be the first Black athlete to carry the Greek flag at the Olympics.

"It's a huge honour for me as an athlete to be a part of something this big, to be around the best athletes in the world. It's huge," Antetokounmpo said, according to the Olympic News Service. "I know that my family is very proud of me and the things I've accomplished, and being the first black flagbearer (for Greece) is a huge honour."