Tom Cruise performs epic abseiling stunt to close Paris Olympics

Tom Cruise performed an incredible stunt to close the Paris Olympics credit:Bang Showbiz
Tom Cruise performed an incredible stunt to close the Paris Olympics credit:Bang Showbiz

Tom Cruise abseiled down into the State de France during the closing ceremony at the Paris Olympics.

The 'Mission: Impossible' actor performed one of his trademark stunts at Sunday's (11.08.24) ceremony as he slid 115-feet down a rope from the venue's roof as part of the handover to Los Angeles for the 2028 Games.

Tom was seen greeting athletes present at the ceremony before landing and taking the Olympic flag away on a motorbike.

A pre-recorded segment then showed the 'Top Gun' star carrying the flag back to the US on a plane before he draped it over the Hollywood sign.

A report from TMZ earlier this month revealed that the Los Angeles element of the stunt was filmed in March and insiders admitted they had expected the Hollywood star to be spotted and the information to be leaked beforehand.

Cruise is said to have been the driving force behind the spectacle and approached the International Olympic Committee (IOC) himself about doing a series of stunts to bring the Paris and Los Angeles Games together.

Meanwhile, the ceremony also featured performances from H.E.R., Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Billie Eilish as well as Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre - with the 'Fight For You' hitmaker singing US national anthem 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in the stadium and the latter quartet performing from Venice Beach in LA.

The event also marked a celebration of the past fortnight of sporting action in Paris and IOC president Thomas Bach quipped that the Olympics had been "Seine-sational".

He said: "The Olympic Games Paris 2024 were a celebration of the athletes and sport at its best. The first Olympic Games delivered fully under our Olympic Agenda reforms: younger, more urban, more inclusive, more sustainable. The first ever Olympic Games with full gender parity.

"These were sensational Olympic Games from start to finish – or dare I say: SEINE-sational Olympic Games.

"The Olympic Games Paris 2024 were Olympic Games of a new era."