Yahoo News Olympics Closing Ceremony: All the Highlights as Paris Hands Over Games to L.A., From Phoenix Rocking Out to Tom Cruise’s Epic Stunts
The Paris Olympics set a high bar for itself after an opening ceremony that showcased Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and a scenic backdrop involving virtually every Parisian landmark along the Seine. But the closing ceremony — taking place on a blistering hot day in stark contrast to the pouring rain of its kickoff — also delivered a blockbuster show with a Hollywood twist.
As part of the glitzy handover to Los Angeles as it prepares to host 2028’s Summer Games, Tom Cruise wowed audiences with a few epic stunts while Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed and H.E.R. sang the U.S. national anthem. Gold medal swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead were the flag bearers for the United States, whose team topped the Paris Olympics with a whopping 126 medals, beating China, the U.K. and France. The host country broke a 100-year record with 64 medals, including 16 golds. Besides swimming champion Leon Marchand and judoka superstar Teddy Riner, the French women’s basketball team made Team France proud on the final day with a nail-biting game against Team USA and took home the silver medal.
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Orchestrated by artistic director Thomas Jolly and executive director Thierry Reboul, the ceremony shone a spotlight on French talent with revered bands Phoenix and Air as well as French-speaking Belgian pop star Angele.
Unfolding days after a thwarted terrorist attack that targeted a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, the Paris Olympics closing ceremony took place under a beefed up security protocol involving thousands of police forces, including nearly 2,000 agents coming from overseas. Over 70,000 spectators attended in addition to 8,200 athletes from over 200 delegations and 270 artists. In an interview with Variety, Reboul said he and the rest of the organizers spent an “incalculable” amount of time to prepare an airtight security plan with local authorities. The country has already been on high alert since the start of the war in Gaza last October.
Jolly — whose opening ceremony show triggered praises from many but also criticism from conservatives due to a scene that seemed to mock “The Last Supper” — created an operatic and dystopian show highlighting the origins and values of the Olympics. Like the opening ceremony that celebrated love and inclusion, the closing bash had a similarly progressive message, with Reboul saying it would use science-fiction to raise “awareness about the fact that our world is fragile and we need to preserve our values.”
Below, see all the best moments from the Paris Olympics closing ceremony.
Zaho de Sagazan Kicks Things Off From the Jardin des Tuileries
French singer-songwriter Zaho de Sagazan, who sang “Modern Love” to Greta Gerwig at the Cannes Film Festival, kicked off the closing ceremony with a performance of French music legend Édith Piaf’s “Sous le Ciel de Paris” at the lush Jardin des Tuileries, where the Olympic Cauldron — an air balloon lit by the Olympic Flame — is located. She was accompanied by the choir of the Académie Haendel-Hendrix.
French Breakout Star Léon Marchand Carries the Olympic Lantern
Dressed elegantly in a suit, French swimmer and Olympic breakout star Léon Marchand — who won four gold medals and one silver at the Games — then removed the lantern containing the flame from the cauldron and began carrying it to the Stade de France. Nicknamed “the dolphin” by his French supporters, Marchand was welcomed with “Léon, Léon” chants. He moved to Arizona three years ago to train with Bob Bowman, the coach of 23-time Olympic gold medalist American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Athletes Band Together — and Sing Karaoke?
After parading in boats under pouring rain during the opening ceremony, the athletes — who all stuck around the City of Light for the closing bash — entered the futuristic stage together and moved to the beat of French electro tracks, including by Justice and M83.
After all the teams had entered, it was announced that it was time for “athlete karaoke,” where all competitors were expected to sing along to various songs. First up were some French anthems, including “Emmenez-moi” by Charles Aznavour, “Les Champs-Elysées” by Joe Dassin and “Freed From Desire” by Gala. Naturally, “We Are the Champions” by Queen was also part of the playlist, and resulted in the biggest sing-along of the night.
Tom Cruise Has Arrived
The actor waved to fans as he arrived to the VIP section of the closing ceremony ahead of his stunt performance to hand over the Games to 2028 host Los Angeles.
A Golden Voyager Descends on the Games
The stadium plunged into a post-apocalyptic atmosphere as the lights switched off and the futuristic set lit up intermittently. As was explained during the broadcast, Jolly envisioned a dystopian future where the Olympic Games had disappeared, only to be reborn when a Golden Voyager visits. Jolly had previously said that the show was meant take spectators on a journey through time, exploring the foundations of humanity in a tribute to the creation of the Games and their revival by Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, in the late 19th century.
Dressed in a glittering costume, the voyager rappelled down from the top of the stadium and performed an acrobatic piece as two more mysterious figures attached the flag of Greece to a pole and waved it in the air. Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory who appears on every Olympic medal, was also portrayed as a swarm of acrobats descended upon the stadium from the sky and erected the five Olympic rings. A piano then emerged from underneath the set, dangling vertically as Alain Roche played the instrument suspended in midair while French lyric tenor Benjamin Bernheim sang “Hymn to Apollo.” As the acrobats danced and flipped, the rings were raised into the air to symbolize the rebirth of the Games.
Francophone Musicians Take Over
After the dancers had been cleared off the futuristic stage, French indie band Phoenix delivered a rousing rendition of their hit “Lisztomania” surrounded by athletes. DJ Kavinsky and Belgian singer Angèle then joined the band to play “Nightcall,” the breakout song from Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive,” before launching into “If I Ever Feel Better” featuring a verse from Cambodian rapper VannDa. Fellow French rockers Air then showed up to play “Playground Love,” the band’s collaboration with Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars that was featured in “The Virgin Suicides,” directed by Mars’ wife Sofia Coppola. The surprise guests continued with Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig hopping on stage to sing “Tonight,” his duet with the band. Phoenix closed out its set with “1901,” which saw Mars jump into the crowd of moshing Olympians.
Paris Sets a Record in Olympic Marriage Proposals
Tony Estanguet, the dashing gold medal-winning French slalom canoeist who presided over of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympics, delivered a moving speech highlighting the records broken during the event, which didn’t only include the 100-year record 64 medals won the French team, but also the number of wedding proposals that happened through the last 11 days. Hosted in the city of Love, the Paris Olympics saw seven wedding proposals, two of which happened in Marseille during the sailing competitions.
“To you, athletes, what can I say? We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magic,” Estanguet said. “You made us happy, you made us feel alive,” he continued, drawing a parallel with the exhilarating feelings triggered by a coup de foudre.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Is Handed the Olympic Flag
The Olympic Flag was then ceremoniously handed to Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, which will next host the Summer Games in 2028. Megastar gymnast Simone Biles was by Bass’ side to accept the flag.
H.E.R. Performs the U.S. National Anthem
Is there anything Grammy-award winning superstar H.E.R. can’t do? As the American flag was raised into the sky to symbolize L.A. taking on the 2028 Summer Games, award-winning musician H.E.R. sang the U.S. National Anthem with gusto.
H.E.R. was dressed in an all-white look and also had a matching custom Fender Stratocaster. After belting out the final notes of the “Star Spangled Banner,” she paused and began strumming the “Mission: Impossible” theme song as Tom Cruise descended off the roof of the stadium.
Tom Cruise Delivers “Mission: Impossible”-Worthy Stunts
Tom Cruise jumped off the top of the Stade to France to mark the handover from the Paris Olympics to the L.A. Games in 2028 and landed on the stage of the stadium.
He was welcomed like a rockstar at the Stade de France and joined Team USA champion Simone Biles along with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who handed the Olympic flag to him. He then hopped onto a motorcycle with the flag in tow and rode out of the stadium to make the symbolic delivery to L.A. In a pre-recorded segment, Cruise dove out of a plane over the Hollywood sign and positioned the Olympic rings over it before the artist performances in L.A. began.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg Welcome Games to L.A.
L.A. natives the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg represented the City of Angels after the handoff of the Olympic flag was made. On a beachside stage, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played “Can’t Stop” before Eilish sang her most recent hit “Birds of a Feather.” Snoop Dogg, who has been contributing commentary to this year’s Games on NBC, brought his Long Beach style to the screen as he rapped “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and even brought out Dr. Dre for their anthem “The Next Episode.”
Yseult and Paris Say “Au Revoir” With “My Way”
The broadcast shifted back to the Stade de France for the closing ceremony’s final segment: an enchanting version of “My Way” belted by French singer Yseult. As the final notes rang out, an impressive amount of fireworks exploded over the stadium — ensuring that the Paris Olympics went out with a bang.
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