Acrobats, flying Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg on the beach: how the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics went
The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games took place in Paris, which many spectators liked more than the opening. For 16 days, the capital of France hosted athletes from all over the world, held one of the most exciting Olympics in history, and passed the baton to the next city, Los Angeles. Spletnik tells what was memorable about the closing ceremony, which took place at the country's largest stadium, the Stade de France.
Director Tom Jolly was responsible for the numbers for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, which were attended by more than 70,000 spectators. According to him, the show was supposed to be "very visual, choreographed and acrobatic, with an operatic twist." And so it turned out. The closing ceremony was filled with the spirit of French culture, as well as lighting effects, performances by acrobats, dancers, actors and world-famous singers. Singer Zao de Sagazan opened the ceremony with a rendition of Sous le ciel de Paris by Edith Piaf in the Tuileries Garden.
Parade of athletes
French swimmer Leon Marchand, who won four gold medals at the games, took the Olympic flame to the Tuileries and headed to the stadium. After the symphony orchestra played the French national anthem, the 9,000 athletes who took part in the games paraded through the Stade de France. IOC President Thomas Bach took to the stage and praised the athletes for "causing excitement" around the world, but also noted that the Olympic movement was turning to a "new era". "The first Olympic Games with full gender parity," he said. "You have shown us what greatness we humans are capable of." The athletes were followed into the stadium by 45,000 volunteers who helped organize the Olympics.
Speeches
The performance of Swiss pianist Alain Roche made a vivid impression. He played a piano suspended vertically in the air, accompanied by acrobats in white suits and masks. With this number, Thomas Jolly pays tribute to those who restored the Olympic movement at the end of the 19th century. Roche was accompanied by opera singer Benjamin Bernheim, who performed the "Hymn to Apollo" inside the Olympic ring. At that moment, four Olympic rings lit up above the stadium, and the last one joined them later. The French electro-pop group Phoenix opened the musical set, which featured Belgian singer Angèle, Ezra Koenig, Cambodian rapper VannDa, French DJ Kavinsky and others.
Passing the baton
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo handed over the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, accompanied by gymnast Simone Biles. Karen became the first black female mayor to receive the Olympic flag.
Tom Cruise was the star of the closing ceremony. The actor flew down over the stadium, took the flag from Karen Bass, and then fled with it on a motorcycle. The Mission: Impossible star set the Hollywood tone for the Olympics' move to Los Angeles, which will be the next host city for the games in 2028.
Los Angeles
The broadcast of the ceremony continued in Los Angeles. The Olympic rings appeared on the Hollywood sign, and American athletes - cyclist Kate Courtney and skateboarder Jagger Eaton staged a video presentation called "Paris - Los Angeles". On the stage in the coastal area of the city, Venice Beach, Red Hot Chili Peppers performed their hit Can't Stop, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas performed Birds of a Feather, and Snoop Dogg performed Drop It Like It's Hot. According to Internet users, the performances of famous American artists on the beach impressed them more than the broadcast from Paris.
Final
After the performance of the American colleagues, the ceremony was closed at the stadium in Paris by the French singer Iso in Dior, performing the legendary song My Way.