- International press reports on the end of the Paris Olympics
Paris (dpa) -
France
Le Figaro: "Even if the show wasn't as grand as the opening ceremony - but it was tough to compete against the Seine - some spectacular visual scenes will remain in memory."
United Kingdom
Mirror: "Tom Cruise pulled off a breathtaking leap from the stadium roof as the Olympic Games staged a crowd-pleaser for the finale."
Spain
El País: "Paris lights the way for Los Angeles. Farewell to Paris 2024, the Games of Light after the chill and pandemic silence of Tokyo. Reconciliation with the passion of sport, the festivities of a city filled with halls and stadiums. From Saint-Denis to Roland Garros, from La Défense to Le Bourget over the Place de la Concorde."
Austria
Kronen Zeitung: "The Summer Games 2021 in Tokyo and the Winter Games 2022 were still under the influence of the Corona pandemic, but in Paris, the return of a real sports festival was celebrated. This was also reflected in the closing ceremony. (...) For the finale, there was a taste of the 2028 Games in Hollywood: lots of star power. R&B star H.E.R. performed the US national anthem, film hero Tom Cruise abseiled from the stadium facade and took the flag from Biles to bring it out of the stadium."
Switzerland
Blick: "The organizers of the next Olympic Games in Milan Cortina (2026) and Los Angeles (2028) will have to stretch to at least match it. But even the best organization is nothing without the enthusiasm of the people. After the disappointing emptiness at the Corona Games in Tokyo three years ago, people longed for big emotions. No matter which stadiums you looked at, they were almost always full."
USA
New York Times: "The ceremony that ended the Games - with acrobats, a Tom Cruise appearance, and a carpet of fireworks - was not as bold as the boat parade on the Seine that started the Games 17 days earlier, but still a fitting finale to a night that elevated sport and style and theater to high art."
Los Angeles Times: "No other city in the world can do what Paris has done in the past three weeks, presenting the drama of Olympic competition against the backdrop of a sparkling Eiffel Tower and the magnificent gardens of Versailles. The Olympic Games of 2024, with its classic trappings and seemingly endless visual beauty, has posed an important question: How can Los Angeles top this?"
The Defence team put forth a strong argument during the post-Games debate, highlighting Paris's exceptional staging of the 2024 Olympic Games. Despite LA's plans for the 2028 Games, the Barrier of the Defence argued that it would be challenging to surpass Paris's fusion of sport, art, and historical Landmarks like Le Defence.
