Paris throws star-powered finale to bring down Olympic curtain

The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics took place on Sunday at a packed Stade de France, bringing the curtain down on a Games widely regarded as one of the most successful in history.

True to the rumours, Tom Cruise performed a "death-defying stunt", abseiling from the Stade de France roof – a sure highlight of the night.

After taking the flag from gymnast Simone Biles, Cruise then "transported" it to Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Games, in a pre-filmed sequence that traversed the streets of Paris and the hills of Hollywood.

All this while the Red Hot Chili Peppers played in the background, their performance beamed live into the Stade de France from Los Angeles.

The band's performance was swiftly followed from a very sunny California by performances from Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre.

Cauldron extinguished

The ceremony began in the Tuileries Gardens where French quadruple gold medallist swimmer Leon Marchand — one of the home heroes of the Games — extinguished the cauldron and took the flame in a lantern to the stadium.

An estimated 9,000 athletes were in attendance, along with 270 performers, for the final act directed by Thomas Jolly, the mastermind of the spectacular opening ceremony that took place on the River Seine.

The spectacle kicked off with a golden figure at the centre of the show – lowered from the roof of the Stade de France before gliding across the stage on the pitch.

The so-called "Golden Voyager", the IOC told us, landed "in a world that is deserted and mysterious, ready to explore”.

Read more on RFI English

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