Celine Dion’s Paris 2024 Olympic performance allegedly pre-recorded and fake

Celine Dion's powerful 'live' performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony was reportedly pre-recorded, according to claims in France today.

Millions of viewers were deeply moved when the 56-year-old Canadian singer performed Hymne à L'amour (Hymn to Love) in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Her performance was the highlight of a lavish Opening Ceremony, mostly held along the banks of the River Seine, with President Emmanuel Macron describing it as the 'emotional highlight' of the sporting event.

However, on Friday, Liberation newspaper cited several music industry experts who asserted that the July 26th performance was "without a shadow of a doubt" pre-recorded.

In response, representatives for the Paris 2024 organisers declined to comment on the controversy, despite earlier claims that the performance had been live.

"What we heard on TV was a corrected playback," composer and performer Etienne Guéreau told Liberation.

In remarks that were widely shared in French media, a sound engineer who requested anonymity said, "It was 100% playback, you can hear it from the first notes."

Other sources reiterated that it was "without a shadow of a doubt" pre-recorded, including a performance by Ms. Dion during rehearsals.

A YouTuber musician known as Wings of Pegasus pointed out that the rehearsal and the actual performance sounded identical – something that is impossible for live performances, which always have some variation.

The performance was meant to mark a triumphant return for Ms. Dion, who has been battling the incurable stiff-person syndrome.

Hymne à L'amour was chosen because it was originally performed by the late French music legend Edith Piaf.

Thousands of fans took to social media to express their admiration for Ms. Dion, whose hit songs include My Heart Will Go On, the famous theme from the Titanic movie.