The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony at the Stade de France on Sunday.
After 17 days of intense competition, Team USA emerged as the top medal winner, securing 126 medals—40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze.
The closing ceremony featured performances by artists like Billie Eilish, H.E.R., the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Snoop Dogg. The event was artistic-directed by Thomas Jolly and included over a hundred performers, acrobats, dancers, and circus artists. French singer Zaho de Sagazan opened the ceremony with a rendition of Édith Piaf’s “Sous le ciel de Paris,” and later, the Olympic flame was ceremonially removed by swimmer Léon Marchand.
In a highlight of the evening, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set a new Olympic record in the women’s marathon, completing the race in 2:22:55.
The ceremony also included a dramatic segment imagining a world without the Olympics, with elaborate performances and symbolic imagery.
Musical performances continued with Phoenix, Angèle, DJ Kavinsky, and others, while the ceremony also paid tribute to the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo handed the Olympic flag to Los Angeles mayor Karan Bass, with American gymnast Simone Biles present on stage.
Tom Cruise made a memorable appearance, arriving via the stadium roof, and later engaging in a pre-taped stunt that saw him motorbike and skydive from Paris to Los Angeles.
The ceremony closed with performances by Yseult and a fireworks display, marking the end of the Paris Games in style.
