After 18 days, 329 gold, silver and bronze medals and countless storylines, the 2024 Olympics drew to a close on Sunday with a high-budget closing ceremony.
The occasion began in earnest when Leon Marchand, the French swimmer who became the most-decorated athlete of the Games with four gold medals and a bronze, picked up the Olympic Cauldron as a choir sang an Edith Piaf number.
As Marchand appeared on the big screen, the crowd in the Stade de France showed their appreciation, before a significant proportion of the 10,500 or so athletes who appeared at the Games entered the arena.
Among the flag bearers were Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting. Both boxers were the subject of much controversy, abuse and misinformation, about their gender.Laura Lindemann und Max Rendschmidt carried the flag for Germany.
As is traditional, the winners of the marathon were awarded their medals on stage but, in a small break with that tradition, this time it was the women. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands took gold while Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri of Kenya were presented with silver and bronze respectively.
There was plenty on show, with performers dancing, flying through the air and lifting Olympic rings from the ground.
At one point, a piano was suspended in mid-air and, at another, 'The Golden Voyager' represented by a figure clad in gold, clambered atop a mountain of people. According to organizers, the "character is inspired by references from French history, including the Spirit of the Bastille."
Music in the stadium came from French acts Phoenix and Air, with cameos from Angele, Kaminsky and Vannda as fireworks lit up the night sky. Later, American artist H.E.R. performed the US national anthem the Star Spangled Banner as part of the handover for the next Games, set to take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
In true Hollywood style, as the song ended, actor Tom Cruise abseiled in to the arena to exchange high fives with the US team, take the Olympic flag from gymnast Simone Biles and speed away with it on a motorcycle. A video showed him delivering it to LA with the help of athletics great Michael Johnson and a few other familiar faces. California natives Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre provided the music from Venice Beach.
Finally, Marchand and six athletes from the refugee team extinguished the Olympic flame before outgoing International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach delivered his closing remarks.
This is not the end though for Paris, with the Paralympics set to start on August 28 in the French capital.
