The Paris Summer Olympics ended with a moving closing ceremony
The next Olympic Games will be held in 2028 in the USA, hosted by Los Angeles. As the representative of the California metropolis, Hollywood actor Tom Cruise descended from the roof of the Stade de France just minutes before the end of the ceremony, in front of around 71,000 spectators in the stadium, symbolically receiving the Olympic flag. After a brief run through the audience, images were shown of the 62-year-old actor racing through the Paris night on a motorcycle with the flag. Cruise had already filmed video sequences on both sides of the Atlantic for the symbolic handover of the baton to Los Angeles.
The flag was previously hoisted to the sounds of the Olympic anthem and symbolically handed over from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. French swimmer Léon Marchand, who won four gold medals and carried the Olympic flame into the Stade de France in a lantern, extinguished the flame of the Paris Games there.
Prior to this, IOC President Bach officially declared the Games closed. "These were sensational Olympic Games from start to finish," he said, adding with a glance at the Seine in the French capital, "Or should I say: Seine-sational Games." The organizers concluded the ceremony with a version of Frank Sinatra's classic "My Way," sung by singer Yseult, with a nod to Los Angeles as the next Olympic host.
Singer Zaho de Sagazan opened the festivities on Sunday in the Tuileries Gardens near the Louvre Museum in central Paris with the French song "Sous le ciel de Paris" (Under the Sky of Paris). There, the symbolic Olympic fire was also extinguished on the giant balloon that had thrilled Olympic fans in Paris since the beginning of the Games.
The closing ceremony at the Stade de France, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, began with a welcome to the athletes in the stadium. The German flag was carried by triathlete Laura Lindemann and canoeist Max Rendschmid, both of whom won gold. Around 10,500 athletes from 203 countries participated in the Olympic Games in the French capital.
The closing ceremony, designed as a symbol of unity and the unifying power of sport, featured 270 performers, acrobats, and dancers. Giant Olympic rings rose into the evening sky. Like the opening ceremony, the show was directed by Thomas Jolly. French Olympic organizer Tony Estanguet told the athletes, "You made us happy, you made us feel alive - the world needed that so much." While the Olympic opening took place in pouring rain on and along the Seine, the temperature at the stadium closing ceremony was around 30 degrees.
The second part of the closing ceremony was eagerly awaited. Traditionally, it is designed by the organizers of the next Olympic Summer Games. In addition to the appearance of actor Tom Cruise and the legendary Hollywood sign in the hills of Los Angeles, the Americans presented a mini-concert with performances by superstars such as the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, rapper Snoop Dogg, and singer Billie Eilish on a Pacific beach in Los Angeles.
Just before the start of the closing ceremonies, there was an incident in the center of Paris: In the afternoon, police arrested a man who had climbed the Eiffel Tower. According to the Paris public prosecutor's office, the man was a British citizen and was taken into custody "especially for endangering the lives of others."
On recordings from online services, a man with a bare torso was visible, climbing onto the Parisian landmark without safety measures. In the images, the climber is already above the five Olympic rings, which were installed above the first observation deck on the tower.
Otherwise, the Olympic Games passed without major incidents. A massive police and military presence ensured security at the Games, which was a huge challenge due to their location in the heart of the French capital. There had also been concerns about potential terrorist threats beforehand. In the end, however, everything went smoothly and in a festive atmosphere.
The Olympic flag was symbolically handed over from Paris to Los Angeles, signifying that The Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles in 2028. During the closing ceremony, singer Yseult performed a version of "My Way," acknowledging Los Angeles as the next Olympic host.
