Lighting up the night: The fireworks display during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games at the Stade de France in St Denis. — Reuters
Cruise hands Olympic flag to Los Angeles, officially closing Paris Games
MOVIE star Tom Cruise rappelled from the roof of France’s national stadium and received the Olympic flag, bringing a heavy dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony of the Paris Games as the French capital handed over to the next host Los Angeles.
Grammy-winning R&B artist H.E.R teased the Mission Impossible soundtrack as Cruise made his leap, drawing gasps from spectators as he dropped 50m to the floor of the Stade de France, in the finale to a ceremony that blended the traditional, the obscure and the razzle dazzle of Tinseltown.
While Paris used iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles to win the hearts of Olympians and spectators alike, LA was swift to turn to its star draw: A-list celebrities.
Paris was bringing down the curtain on an Olympic Games that brought scintillating sport to the heart of the capital, breathing new life into an Olympic brand hurt by the difficulties of Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Games and the soulless spirit of Tokyo’s Covid-hit event.
Even Parisians were carried away by the Olympic fervour.
“We wanted to dream. We got Leon Marchand,” Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet told the crowd, referring to the French swimmer who won four golds.
“From one day to the next Paris became a party and France found itself. From a country of grumblers, we became a country of frenzied fans.”
Tom Cruise receiving the Olympic flag. — Reuters
The two weeks of sporting drama saw China and the United States duke it out for top spot in the medal table right down to the last event.
Echoing the heartache delivered to France by the US in the men’s basketball final, the American women’s basketball side handed France a gut-wrenching one-point defeat to earn a 40th gold medal and top spot on the medal table.
As the world emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022, Paris had promised an Olympic “light at the end of the tunnel” and to provide the stage for a carefree Games.
But Russia’s war in Ukraine on Europe’s eastern flank, conflict in the Middle East, and France’s heightened state of security alert loomed large as the Games got under way.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach saluted the athletes as he declared the Games closed.
“During all this time, you lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other,” Bach said.
Historical character: A performance of the Golden Voyager. — Reuters
“You respected each other, even if your countries are divided by war and conflict. You created a culture of peace.”
Cruise’s exit on a motorbike saw the closing ceremony transition to a prerecorded video of the 62-year-old skydiving down to the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the LA landmark.
The flag was then passed from US Olympians past and present as it traversed the city before reaching a beach party, where the LA music icons the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre performed.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has acknowledged Paris has set a high standard. But the City of Angels has billed itself as a beacon of diversity and will have Hollywood to fall back on.
“They’ve got a high bar to reach. A lot of work to do,” said James Rutledge, 59, a former banker wearing a Team USA T-shirt outside the Stade de France.
“Hollywood next? That’s something to play with.” — Reuters
