Tom Cruise descended from the roof of the French National Stadium yesterday (August 11) and collected the Olympic flag, bringing a big dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony in Paris as the French capital handed over power to the next host city, Los Angeles.
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist HER performed the Mission Impossible soundtrack as Tom Cruise made his leap, drawing gasps from onlookers as he fell 50 metres onto the floor of the Stade de France, in the finale of a ceremony that combined tradition, mystery and Hollywood glamour.
While Paris used iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles to win the hearts of Olympians and spectators alike, Los Angeles was quick to turn to its biggest stars.
Paris was bringing down the curtain on an Olympic Games that brought exciting sport to the heart of the capital, breathing new life into an Olympic brand wounded by the difficulties of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the heartless Tokyo Games in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
Even the Parisians got carried away by the Olympic zeal.
“We wanted to dream. We have Léon Marchand,” Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet told the crowd, referring to the French swimmer who has won four gold medals.
“Overnight, Paris became a party, and France found itself. From a country of complainers, we became a country of crazy fans,” he added.
Culture of Peace
In two weeks of sporting drama, China and the United States battled for top spot in the medal table until the very last event.
The heartache France experienced at the hands of the United States in the men’s basketball final was repeated when the U.S. women’s basketball team defeated France by one point to win its 40th gold medal and take first place in the medal table.
As the world emerged from the COVID pandemic in 2022, Paris promised an Olympic “light at the end of the tunnel” and provided the stage for a carefree Games.
But Russia’s war in Ukraine on Europe’s eastern flank, the conflict in the Middle East and a heightened security alert in France loomed large as the Games got underway.
International Committee President Thomas Bach greeted the athletes as he announced the end of the Games.
“Throughout this time, you have lived peacefully under one roof in the Olympic Village. You have embraced each other,” Bach said. “You have respected each other, even though your countries are divided by war and conflict. You have created a culture of peace.”
High Bar for Los Angeles
Cruise’s motorcycle descent prompted the closing ceremony to cut to pre-recorded video of the 62-year-old skydiver falling onto the Hollywood sign, with a wide shot revealing the Olympic rings incorporated into the L.A. landmark.
The flag was then passed by former and current U.S. Olympians who made their way through the city before arriving at a beach party featuring performances by LA music icons Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that Paris has set a high standard. But the City of Angels has proclaimed itself a beacon of diversity and will have Hollywood to lean on.
“They have a high bar. There’s a lot of work to do,” James Rutledge, a 59-year-old former banker, said in a Team USA shirt outside the Stade de France. “Hollywood next? That’s going to be fun.”
Sports memories
France will take with them fond sporting memories.
The French had a new golden boy – swimmer Marchand emerging as king of the pool. French judoka Teddy Riner reigned supreme, winning his fifth Olympic gold medal.
Simone Biles put her Tokyo misery behind her to make her long-awaited Olympic return in front of a star-studded crowd. She arrived as the world’s most decorated gymnast and left with three more gold medals in her trophy case.
Breakdancing made its Olympic debut – to some mockery on social media – while 3×3 basketball, sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing all made their second appearances.
The IOC will be relieved that no major scandals erupted, although it did have to deal with some controversies.
A swirling doping scandal involving Chinese athletes has loomed over the Olympic swimming competition, where the United States has faced its biggest challenge to its dominance in decades.
The gender eligibility storm has hit women’s boxing competitions, exposing the toxic relationship between the IOC and the widely discredited International Boxing Association.
Meanwhile, a $1.5 billion cleanup of the Seine has rewarded Paris with the optics of triathletes and marathon runners competing in the river in central Paris without a wave of illnesses.
