Movie star Tom Cruise abseiled from the roof of France’s national stadium to receive the Olympic flag, bringing a strong dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games as the French capital advanced to the next host, Los Angeles.
Grammy winner HER played the Mission: Impossible theme song as Cruise made his leap, eliciting gasps from spectators as he plummeted 50 metres above the ground at the Stade de France in a ceremony finale that mixed the traditional, the dark and Hollywood glitz.
While Paris used iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles to win the hearts of Olympic athletes and spectators, Los Angeles quickly turned to its main attraction: A-list celebrities.
Paris closed the curtain on an Olympics that brought spectacular sport to the heart of the capital, breathing new life into the Olympic brand that had been wounded by the difficulties of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the monotonous spirit of the event in Tokyo hit by Covid-19.
Even the Parisians were infected by the Olympic fervor.
“We wanted to dream. We took Léon Marchand,” Paris 2024 Games chief Tony Estanguet told the audience, referring to the French swimmer who has won four gold medals in swimming.
“From one day to the next, Paris became a party and France found itself. From a country of grumblers we became a country of fanatical fans.”
“CULTURE OF PEACE”
The two weeks of sporting drama saw China and the United States battle for first place in the medal table until the final event.
Echoing the pain inflicted on France by the United States in the men’s basketball final, the U.S. women’s team handed France a heartbreaking one-point defeat in the same sport, winning their 40th gold medal and 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 a stage for carefree competition.
But Russia’s war in Ukraine on Europe’s eastern flank, the conflict in the Middle East and France’s heightened state of security alert were major concerns as the Games began.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach bid farewell to the athletes and declared the Games closed.
“All this time you lived peacefully together under the same roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other,” Bach said. “You respected each other, even though your countries were divided by wars and conflicts. You created a culture of peace.”
HIGH LEVEL FOR LOS ANGELES
Cruise’s motorcycle outing prompted a pre-recorded video at the closing ceremony of the 62-year-old actor skydiving into the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the Los Angeles landmark.
The flag was then passed around by U.S. Olympians, both past and present, as it made its way through the city to a beach party, where Los Angeles music icons Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre showed up.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that Paris has set a high bar. But the City of Angels has presented itself as a beacon of diversity and will count on Hollywood to shore up its image.
“They have a high bar to reach. There’s a lot of work to do,” said James Rutledge, 59, a former banker wearing a U.S. national team jersey outside the Stade de France. “Next time, it’s Hollywood? That’s something to joke about.”
Source: Terra
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