Paris 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony Highlights: Olympic Games finishes with a show for LA 2028

Yseult sings the parting song of the performance, singing an interpretation of Frank Sinatra’s classic, My Way, itself originally based on the French song Comme d’habitude.

French Closing Ceremony Flagbearer Antoine Dupont, gold medallist with the men’s rugby sevens team, has passed the French national flag over to the French Paralympic team.

Leon Marchand walks onto the stage with the Olympic flame, which he had held at the start of the closing ceremony. Bach announces the Paris 2024 games closed as the flame if put off by the six athletes.

Snoop Dogg takes centre-stage after Billie Eilish and Red Hot Chilli Peppers perform in Los Angeles. Snoop Dogg runs through the fans to join Dr. Dre on stage.

In the background, Red Hot Chilli Peppers plays as Cruise takes the Olympic flag to United States of America.

Friends and Olympians Michael Johnson (four-time Olympic track and field champion, 1992–2000), Kate Courtney (2020 mountain bike), and Jagger Eaton (2020–2024 skateboarding, two-time Olympic medallist) make brief appearances along the route. to take the flag to Los Angeles as the iconic Hollywood sign is seen with the Olympic rings.

Tom Cruise comes down to the ground from the roof of State de France through a harness and makes his way to the stage, shaking hands and clicking photos with the athletes.

Grammy-Award winner H.E.R. sings the American National Anthem as the flag is passed on to the host of the next Olympics.

The Olympic Flag is now passed from Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, to IOC President Bach, then to Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. And Olympic champion Simone Biles of USA has joined them on stage.

As the Olympic hymn by John Williams plays in the background and Bach and Estanguet get together with the six athletes, representing the five continents and the Refugee Olympic Team, hoist the Olympic flag.

“The most difficult part of any love affair is saying goodbye. And this evening, we are all in love with the Games.”

“The feelings of hope, inspiration and love will remain. When the time comes, we will be reunited at LA28.”

-Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024

Back, the IOC chief, delivers his final speech at the 2024 Olympics, thanking people who made sure that the Games were successful, adding: “you created a tournament of peace” when (some) people around the world were waging war. 

Thomas Back, the International Olympic Committee chief for the process of transfer of the Olympic flame to the hosts of the next edition of the Games. He is accompanied by President of the Organising Committee for Paris 2024, the three-time canoe Olympic champion Tony Estanguet.

Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, the members of Air, perform Playground Love after which the setting changes to pop. Phoenix gets the spotlight back, singing Tonight now.

Vincent Belorgey, known professionally as Kavinsky, comes on to perform next, on Nightcall. He shares the stage with Belgian singer and songwriter Angèle Van Laeken.

Phoenix, the French indie-rock band, takes the stage playing Love like a Sunset, next, for the next performance at the State de France.

French pianist and opera singer Benjamin Bernheim takes the stage, singing the Hymn to Apollo, while Alain Roche, who appeared seconds earlier, plays the piano while being suspended vertically in the air.

The Greek flag is flown and the country’s song will be sung as part of the Closing Ceremony tradition to honour Greece’s participation in the Olympic Games.

Thomas Jolly has integrated this into the program, following in Pierre de Coubertin’s footsteps when he brought back the ancient Olympic Games at the close of the 1800s.

The Stade de France has now been become into theatre, dark and pregnant with mysteries. 

From the sky, a Golden Voyager appears. This character is inspired by references from French history, including the Spirit of the Bastille.

The Orchestre Divertimento and Maîtrise de Fontainebleau starts its second performance of the day with brilliant light and sound show at the State de France.

Four newly elected IOC Athletes’ Commission members, Allyson Felix (USA), Kim Bui (GER), Jess Fox (AUS), and Marcus Daniell (NZL), are called upon to hand out gifts of appreciation to volunteer representatives.

The medals for women’s marathon are handed out, with Sifan Hassan, who raced to victory in a new Olympic record, clinching the gold medal in Paris.

As the flag bearers walk out to make way for the next set of performances. From ‘Freed from desire’ by Gala to ‘We are the Champion’ by Queen, the State de France is THE place to be a the moment, while in France.

After the flag bearers form a circle around the arena, the athletes of all countries walk out to celebrate the conclusion of this Olympics and this Olympic cycle.

The flag bearers circle around the arena at the State de France as dramatic music rings around the venue. What a remarkable two weeks of sporting action we have had!

Athletes of every nation, two from each country, walk out with their National flags. For India, it is Manu Bhaker and PR Sreejesh.

French president Macron beets IOC president Thomas Bach, after which France’s National anthem is played in full glory -- violinists, cello players and flutists in sync playing ‘La Marseillaise’ as one.

After an Opera performance, French swimmer Léon Marchand takes the flame of the Olympics to the State de France, which will have the remaining closing ceremony.

As the golden rays of the setting sun falls in Paris the final event of the Olympics, the closing ceremony begins at the French capital.

Greece will start the closing march, with pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis and swimmer Evangelia Platanioti taking their flags.

Unlike the opening ceremony which was held on the River Seine, the closing ceremony will be held at the Stade de France, which hosted the track and field events for this edition of the quadrennial event. 

The 117-member Indian contingent which travelled to Germany, ended their campaign with five bronze medals and one silver. Shooter Manu Bhaker became the first Indian since independence to win two medals in the same edition while the men’s hockey team won back-to-back Olympic medals for the first time in over five decades. 

At the closing ceremony, Manu and hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be the flagbearers for India during the Parade of Nations.

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is set to conclude after a pompous exhibition of sporting competitions over 48 disciplines at the French capital, from July 26 to August 11.

The United States of America pipped People’s Republic of China to top the medal’s tally on the final day, in the final event -- women’s basketball -- when it beat France in the summit clash.

In a few hours, the Paris Games will finish, with the flame transferred to the organisers of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.