Olympics 2024 | Paris says au revoir, over to LA now

All the joie de vivre and camaraderie was visible in the closing ceremony.

Paris: Paris brought the curtains down on a spectacular Olympic Games with an electrifying but emotional closing ceremony that highlighted the core values of excellence, respect and friendship which the French capital displayed in abundance over the last 19 days.

“Despite all the tensions in our world, you came here from all the 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Team, to make the City of Light shine brighter than ever before,” said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach in his closing ceremony address, lauding the athletes for making sports the focal point over the last three weeks despite the world in deep divide.

“Your performances were simply amazing. You competed fiercely against each other. You showed us what greatness we humans are capable of. During all this time, you lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other. You respected each other, even if your countries are divided by war and conflict. You created a culture of peace. This inspired all of us and billions of people around the globe. Thank you for making us believe in a better world for everyone. These Olympic Games could only inspire the world, because our French friends prepared the stage.”

The XXXIII Olympiad in Paris kicked off on July 24 — the official opening was two days later — with plenty of concerns -- local and global. French president Emmanuel Macron, whose ambition was to pull off a Games like never before, called for a snap legislative election that even shocked Bach and there were wars ongoing between Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine.

The sporting world too was rocked after it came to light that the World Anti-Doping Agency turned a blind eye to allegations of doping from Chinese swimmers at the Tokyo Games, a news that didn’t sit well with American and Australian swimmers who have constantly vouched for fair play at the pool.

There were concerns about empty venues as pre-event ticket sales hadn’t gone as planned. Parisians, accustomed to hassle-free life, too were unhappy with the heavy security measures put in place which saw many leaving for an early summer holiday.

Sports is a great healer and it did so marvellously with some of the superstars delivering blockbuster performances. Right from Leon Marchand’s sensational swims in the pool to Simone Biles’ gravity-defying acts on the mat to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s world record run to an unbelievable men’s 100m sprint won by Noah Lyles by five-thousandths of a second to American all-star men’s basketball team's box-office act to Novak Djokovic completing his trophy cabinet with an Olympic gold, these Games had several magical acts that had the fans asking for more.

No Games pass off without controversies and the biggest was felt at the boxing venue where Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was involved in a major gender row. The combat sport has forever struggled to maintain a good image and it took a further beating here. 

Weight management too became a topic of intense discussion especially after Vinesh Phogat failed her weigh-in on the second day after storming into the gold-medal bout. The Indian was disqualified and the case is with the Court of Arbitration of Sports. 

Fans, from across the world, flocked the venues -- some of which were historical locations to highlight the beauty of Paris -- with barely any empty seat left despite the high prices of tickets for the marquee events.

All that joie de vivre and camaraderie was visible in the closing ceremony right from the flag-bearers of participating nations marching down the centre aisle to athletes streaming down and mixing around with representatives from other nationalities, taking selfies and exchanging pins and flags. 

The closing ceremony started with the Golden Voyager sashaying from the roof of the gigantic Stade de France stadium before climaxing in true Hollywood style as Los Angeles, the hosts of the 2028 Games, took over. Action-hero icon Tom Cruise, who shot parts of his latest Mission Impossible movie in Paris, streamed down from the roof to the thrill of athletes and fans before storming off with the Olympic flag in a bike.

He was shown jumping off an airplane and adorning the iconic Hollywood sign with the Olympic rings, bringing about massive cheers from the spectators. Popular rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers performed before hip-hop legends Snoop Dog, who was in Paris promoting the Games, and Dr Dre closed out with acts in LA. Paris did a fabulous job and it’s onto Los Angeles now.

Hollywood star Tom Cruise makes a dramatic appearance.

IOC President Thomas Bach (right) hands the Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. LA will host the 2028 edition of the Olympics.

India’s flag-bearers shooter Manu Bhaker (right) and men’s hockey team goalkeeper PR Srejeesh.

The Golden Voyager atop a pile of dancers during the closing ceremony.