What to Know
- The ceremony, marking the close of the 2024 Paris Olympics, began with French swimming star Léon Marchand taking the Olympic flame in a lantern on its journey to the Stade de France.
- Swimming superstar Katie Ledecky and gold medal rower Nick Mead served as flag bearers for Team USA in the Stade de France for the Parade of Athletes.
- Winners of the women's marathon — including the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan, who won gold and set a new Olympic record — received their medals during the ceremony for the first time.
- The closing ceremony performance included a "golden voyager" descending from the sky and a theatrical representation of the excavation of five nearly 20-foot Olympic rings surrounded by dancers and acrobats.
- The mayor of Paris handed over the Olympic flag to the mayor of the 2028 Summer Olympics host city: Los Angeles.
- Tom Cruise, who had been rumored to be part of the show, made a dramatic entrance to the Stade de France to help transport the Olympic flag to Los Angeles.
- The handover to L.A. was celebrated with a concert on the beach featuring Snoop Dogg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Dre and Billie Eilish.
- The 2024 Paralympics, also hosted in Paris, start later this month on Aug. 28 and run for 11 days.
This blog is no longer being updated. See our Olympics page for full coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
