Paris concluded its record-breaking Olympic Games on Sunday night with a dreamlike, science fiction-inspired light show, featuring Tom Cruise flying through the air from the stadium roof and whisking the Olympic flag off to Los Angeles.
The United States pipped China for top spot in the battle of medals. The USA however finished on top of the overall medal table with a total of 126 medals, with China in second place on 91.
Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise’s dramatic flag handover to Los Angeles, the next host city, set a Hollywood tone. Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, the first black female mayor to receive the Olympic flag, acknowledged the high bar set by Paris but expressed confidence in her city’s ability to rise to the challenge.
The event began with a golden intergalactic traveller reviving the Olympic spirit in a futuristic landscape. Dancers and acrobats, including fire-service gymnasts, descended from the Stade de France roof, performing on giant Olympic rings. Swiss musician Alain Roche played Hymn to Apollo on a suspended piano, and French singer Yseult delivered a breathtaking rendition of My Way.
The ceremony highlighted the importance of preserving the Olympic spirit in a world fraught with conflict. It was a fitting end to the Games, which saw record ticket sales, TV viewership, and even numerous marriage proposals among athletes.
Thomas Jolly, the theatre and opera director, described the show as a celebration of “respect and tolerance” in a fragile world. The ceremony began beneath Paris’s innovative Olympic cauldron, a ring of fire made of electricity and LED lights, which has become a new city landmark.
Award-winning singer Zaho de Sagazan performed Sous le Ciel de Paris, followed by gold-medal swimmer Léon Marchand extinguishing the flame. The Stade de France, transformed into a futuristic stage, hosted thousands of volunteers and athletes in a final moment of unity.
The French breakdancer Arthur Cadre, as the golden traveller, led a performance with hundreds of dancers and acrobats. The French electro-pop band Phoenix, along with Belgian singer Angèle and Cambodian rapper VannDa, provided musical entertainment.
Paris aimed to reinvent the Games, bringing sport into the city centre with the motto Games Wide Open. The Games featured picturesque venues and aimed to attract a younger audience, drawing a line under the spectator-less Tokyo Games held during the Covid pandemic.
