Follow the 2024 closing ceremony : NPR

PARIS — With one final massive exhale from French swimmer Léon Marchand, the Olympic flame in Paris is out.

The closing ceremony on Sunday drew the curtain on a historic two-plus week stretch of Olympic competitors.

And historic it was. The Summer time Video games made novel use of the nation’s iconic venues (the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais and The Palace of Versailles to call just some). In the meantime, American swimmer Katie Ledecky, who added 4 extra medals to her general whole of 14, grew to become essentially the most adorned feminine Olympian, whereas Marchand confirmed the world he’s swimming’s subsequent massive factor. U.S. gymnasts, led by Simone Biles, acquired their redemption, and St. Lucia gained its first ever medal — within the quickest observe occasion no much less.

The return of crowds increase Olympic spirit

Greater than 71,000 spectators packed into Stade de France, the nation’s nationwide stadium situated north of Paris, for the closing bash for the primary Olympics since COVID restrictions have been fully lifted. The absence of any COVID protocols allowed athletes to benefit from the full vitality of the group, however there have been additionally infections.

The venue had remodeled from a web site of Olympic observe and rugby occasions right into a live performance corridor.

This system kicked off on a solemn notice, with French singer Zaho de Sagazan, and a choir wearing all black, gathered around the cauldron singing “Sous le ciel de Paris.” The tempo picked up with a vigorous orchestral set contained in the stadium, the place the normal entrance of the flags and the parade of athletes from 205 delegations marched alongside a silver-colored stage of disjointed, shard-shaped platforms.

For the U.S., Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead have been among the many circle of flag bearers, whereas bronze-medalist pole vaulter Emmanouil Karalis and creative swimmer Evangelia Platanioti have been seen waving the Greece flag. Staff USA and Staff China have been seen standing subsequent to one another, each singing alongside to “We Are The Champions” moments after the international locations had tied within the gold medal rely.

The festivities additionally included a medal ceremony for the highest finishers of the ladies’s marathon that concluded earlier within the day. It was the primary time the ladies’s race has closed the Olympic Video games. Gold medalist Dutch runner Sifan Hassan took the highest of the rostrum after profitable with an Olympic report time of two:22:55. That’s after already clinching two bronze medals in each the 5,000- and 10,000-meter race to run a complete of 38 miles.

The second was a nod to organizers’ purpose of reaching full gender parity for the Paris Video games. On the identical time, it struck a dissonant chord alongside a Video games that noticed the focusing on of feminine Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over her gender. In Paris, buoyed by fan assist that outshouted the net assaults she confronted, she went on to win gold. That wasn’t the one controversy. After an enormous funding in cleansing up the Seine, the query of the waters’ day by day security saved swimmers on their toes.

The volunteers who helped the Paris Video games run have been additionally honored. The teal-uniformed crew ran the present behind the scenes — they combed the sand on the seashore volleyball matches, swept the sweat from the basketball courts, and eliminated the hurdles from the Stade de France observe.

A celebration of Olympics previous and current

A very dramatic second linked previous and current Olympic historical past. Because the stadium darkened, a mysterious gold creature descended from the sky — creative director Thomas Jolly’s so-named “The Golden Voyager” — and arrived in a science fiction world with out an Olympics Video games.

After an encounter with a statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, an excavation of the Olympics started – reviving the traditional Video games in Greece 2,800 in the past akin to when Pierre de Coubertin, founding father of the primary trendy Video games, did it on the finish of the nineteenth century, in Paris.

A homogenous military of white-clad dancers that populated the desolate stage grew extra animated and acrobatic, and shortly their big cirque du soleil-like metal rings have been refashioned into the Olympic rings representing the 5 continents.

Phoenix, Air deliver gentle to austere ceremony

With one signature synth-y intro of pop-rock band Phoenix’s hit observe “Lisztomania,” we’d entered the 2000s. They performed alongside French compatriots Air and electro home artist Kavinsky who carried out “Nightcall.” Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig additionally joined the musical act.

A Hollywood handoff from Paris to Los Angeles

The arrival of Tom Cruise signaled a not-so-traditional handoff of the Olympic flag to the subsequent host metropolis: Los Angeles. The actor — recognized for doing his personal stunt work within the Mission Unattainable movies — rappelled from the sting of the open-air stadium all the way down to the stage to just accept the flag from Simone Biles. In a pre-taped video, he traversed Paris through bike after which, as a skydiver, descended on the Hollywood signal (with the double-Os now dressed because the bottommost Olympic rings).

Crimson Sizzling Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg take the live performance to LA

In Los Angeles, mountain biker Kate Courtney introduced the flag to four-time Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson, who ran the flag by the vast metropolis streets. Skateboarder Jagger Eaton, a Paris silver medalist, introduced the flag to Venice Seashore, the place the Crimson Sizzling Chili Peppers kicked off a beachside live performance that included different Southern California-based artists Billie Eilish and rapper Snoop Dogg.