Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony highlights: Au revoir to city of Love, and over to vibrant LA - The Economic Times (2024)

• Curtain came down on its widely praised staging of the global sporting spectacular.
• A star-studded closing ceremony got under way in front of around 71,500 spectators at the Stade de France
• Around 270 artists and performers were scheduled to perform in the packed arena for an estimated 9,000 athletes who marched into the venue as the festivities got into full swing.
• The opening segment of the ceremony festivities began with France's swimming hero Leon Marchand -- winner of four gold medals at these Games -- gathering the Olympic flame from the cauldron in the centre of Paris to begin its journey to the Stade de France.
• French rugby hero Antoine Dupont -- who led the host nation to a rugby sevens gold medal in one of the early highlights of the Games -- carried a tricolore flag into the Stade de France as partying athletes swarmed the field.
• The glittering closing spectacle marks the beginning of the four-year countdown to the Los Angeles Olympics
• The ceremony follows 17 days of frequently breathtaking sporting action set against the backdrop of iconic Parisian landmarks from the Eiffel Tower to the Chateau de Versailles.
• In contrast to the rain-soaked opening ceremony on the River Seine, the opening ceremony began as the sun set across the French capital.
• The last day of sporting action saw the United States pip China for top spot in the battle for medals after the US women's basketball team squeezed past France 67-66 to clinch the last gold of the Games.

Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony Live Updates: The ceremony, titled "Records" by the organisers, will feature performances by major names in American music, including Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and H.E.R.

With the next Olympics scheduled for Los Angeles in four years, the organizers have ensured a fair sprinkling of artists who are native to the state of California, with Grammy-winning H.E.R. expected to perform the U.S. national anthem live.

The closing ceremony will also include the ceremonial extinguishing of the Olympic Flame and the handing over of the Olympic Flag to the Los Angeles 2028 Organizing Committee, marking the transition to the next Summer Games.

Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony Live Updates: The gigantic Stade de France resembled a concert hall hosting a party to celebrate the fortnight of sporting excellence as the breathtaking closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics kicked off with athletes marching into the iconic stadium to a thunderous applause here on Sunday. While the nearly four-hour-long innovative opening ceremony held on the River Seine had showcased the architectural wonders of the city and the country's rich heritage, the closing ceremony was equally enchanting, watched by close to 75,000 fans.
The two-hour-long show, created by Thomas Jolly, began with a musical ode to the Games' host city, with French singer Zaho de Sagazan singing the famous 'Sous le ciel de Paris'.

The flag-bearers of each of the 205 delegations entered the gigantic Stade de France and assembled on a stage in the centre of the stadium, which symbolically represented a planisphere, while the athletes joined the parade.

Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony Live Updates: The closing ceremony began with French swimming sensation Leon Marchand collecting the Olympic flame in a lantern from the gardens overlooking the Louvre museum, beginning its short journey to the stadium in the Paris outskirts.

Moments later flagbearers of each of the 205 Olympic delegations paraded into the stadium, led by French rugby star Antoine Dupont, before thousands more athletes spilled into the arena to rapturous applause and a thumping soundtrack.

The 2-1/2 hour show will include a theatrical sequence entitled "Records", which promises a dream-like immersive journey through time, led by a "Golden Voyager".

His odyssey begins at the origins of the Olympic Games before proceeding to a science-fiction filled dystopian future where the Olympic Games have vanished and must be rediscovered.

Along the way, the voyager will discover the symbols of peace and unity than underpin the values of Olympism.

But it is the musicians and Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, the U.S. rapper who has been contributing to NBC Primetime's coverage of the Games, that will awe fans and television spectators.

Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. will perform the U.S. national anthem live in Paris, while rumours have swirled around Paris that Tom Cruise will perform a stunt worthy of Mission Impossible.

Olympics 2024 Closing Ceremony Live Updates: China delivered their best performance at a Summer Olympics since the 2008 Games on home soil, winning the joint most gold medals with the United States and only missing out on topping the standings on silver medal count.

The 40 golds was an all time high for Games outside China and was achieved despite immense pressure and tightened scrutiny resulting from a doping row involving some of its swimmers.

The United States topped the medals table with 40 golds, finishing above China only by virtue of their 44 silvers.

China, who were the last team apart from the U.S. to top the standings, when they did it on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Games, also won 40 golds but managed only 27 silvers.

The U.S. and China each had double the number of golds than third-placed Japan, a far more dominant performance by the top two countries than in recent Games.

Olympics Closing Ceremony Live Updates: The closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics will bring out several stars: Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chili Peppers are scheduled to perform Sunday.
The all-star lineup will hit the stage as part of the handover to the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Each of the music artists is a California native, including H.E.R., who is expected to sing the U.S. national anthem live at the Stade de France.

“This is the biggest moment in LA28 history to date, as the Olympic flag passes from Paris to LA,” said LA28 chairperson Casey Wasserman in a statement. “We are thrilled to feature the very best of LA with local artists and are grateful to Billie, H.E.R., the Chili Peppers and Snoop for their collaboration on what will be an incredible show to a global audience that will give fans a taste of what’s to come in 2028.”

The opening ceremony featured Lady Gaga and the return of Celine Dion to the performing stage after her career-threatening stiff person syndrome diagnosis.

Los Angeles will host the Olympics for the third time, with previous Games being held there in 1984 and 1932. It will be the first time the city will host the Paralympics.

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: Egypt will bid to host the 2036 and 2040 Summer Olympics, with the country's improving infrastructure and sports facilities key for a successful African bid, said the head of the African national Olympic committees association (ANOCA) on Sunday.

The continent has never staged an Olympic Games. Cairo last made an unsuccessful bid for the 2008 Olympics.

The most populous country in the Arab world, Egypt has spent billions of dollars building facilities, stadiums and sports complexes in recent years as part of its plans to modernise the country.

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: American gymnast Jordan Chiles must return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise after sport's highest court voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles' coach that vaulted Chiles to third, the International Olympic Committee confirmed Sunday.

The IOC announced early Sunday it was reallocating the bronze from last Monday's women's floor final to Romanian Ana Barbosu after the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Saturday night it would respect the court's decision and elevate Barbosu to third.

"They have done a spectacular job," Los Angeles 2028 CEO Casey Wasserman told Reuters. "The experience in the venues, which is what this is all about for the athletes and the fans, is world class."

He said Los Angeles would not try to match Paris in style and substance but in "authenticity and execution", a view echoed by IOC President Thomas Bach.

"If LA would like to copy the Eiffel Tower, it would be a recipe for disaster," Bach said. "Each Olympic Games has to be authentic, has to be creative, has to show the culture of the host country."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged Paris had set a high bar, and that LA's homelessness problems would be a challenge to overcome. But the City of Angels has one world class asset that nobody else can claim: "We do have Hollywood, so I expect a lot of magical opportunities," she told Reuters.

Olympics 2024 closing ceremony Live Updates: Indian Olympic athletes receive rewards from both the government and the national sports body. Gold medalists are awarded Rs 75 lakhs ($90,000) from the the Indian Olympic Association and Rs 50 lakh for silver medalists and Rs 25 lakh for bronze winners.
Read FUll list of Olympics Winners prize Money

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: Indian hockey player Gurjant Singh says, "It is a matter of great pride that we have won back-to-back medals for our country..."

Meanwhile, hockey player Hardik Singh says, "I am feeling very nice as they have welcomed us and this love motivates us to play. We always give our 100% and will continue to do so."

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: In a cryptic nod to its theme, the closing ceremony has been dubbed "Records" by its director, Jolly. While Olympic ceremonies traditionally shroud their details in secrecy, some key elements have been revealed. The celebrated 80,000-capacity Stade de France will transform into an enormous concert hall for the event. The ceremony will feature a vibrant ensemble of more than 100 performers, including acrobats, dancers, circus artists, and globally recognized singers.

A portion of the spectacle will unfold in the sky, enhanced by stunning lighting effects and the distinct French touch in the costumes. This grand production is designed to transport spectators—both those in the stadium and those watching from home—on a captivating journey that revisits the origins of the Games, explores the future, and ultimately immerses them in a timeless universe.

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: Los Angeles 2028 organisers said Saturday they will force spectators to take public transportation to Olympic venues and encourage remote working in a bid to sidestep the gridlocked city's notorious traffic problems.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said 2028 chiefs want the LA Olympics to be "The No Car Games" by investing in public transportation and encouraging Angelenos to adopt pandemic-style remote-working for the duration of the event.

"The 'No Car Games' means that you will have to take public transportation to get to all of the venues," Bass told a press conference ahead of Sunday's Paris Olympics closing ceremony. "In order to do that we have been building out our transportation system."

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: Legendary Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who bowed out of international hockey with another Paris Olympics bronze medal to his name, said on Saturday that being named as the country's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the marquee event is a "cherry on the cake".

After clinching the bronze medal in men's hockey at the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian men's hockey team arrived at New Delhi Airport on Saturday morning. But PR Sreejesh and Amit Rohidas are among the players staying back in Paris for the closing ceremony.

Speaking to ANI at the India House, Sreejesh said, "It is cherry on the cake (being chosen as flag-bearer). It is my last tournament, last Olympics and I am going out with a medal. Now, I have been chosen to be the flag-bearer. One cannot demand anything more than this."

Olympics 2024 Live Updates: The United States leads the medal standings overall, with China next in line. Australia, Japan, Britain and France are vying for the third spot.

Meanwhile, India stands on the 71st position as of now.