The 2024 Paris Olympics came to a spectacular ending on 11 August 2024, after several weeks of athletic events that were deemed the most successful and uniting the modern world had ever seen. The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympiad was held in the Stade de France, and was a triumph of French culture and art.
The evening began with a stunning light show projected onto the stadium, a sequence designed to demonstrate the history and modernity of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower glowing in the Olympic colours in the background.
Since there had been some 300 events in 32 sports, the athletes marched past the cheering masses having competed in all of them. Each one beamed and smiled at his compatriots as they walked by. It was a microcosm of the Games: friendship, respect, excellence. The crowds cheered for everyone. Not just the medalists, but for every athlete who had proudly represented their country.
With a nod to the sustainability measures that were used in the Games, the president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, praised Paris organisers for their ‘extraordinary games’. ‘This city,’ he said, ‘has given us an exceptional Olympic Games.’
The ceremony was also punctuated by performances by leading figures of the French cultural scene, mixing music, dance and fashion in a kaleidoscope of French creativity. The passing of the Olympic flag to Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Games, was the culmination of a dedicated sequence celebrating the legacy of the Paris Games, which centred around the young athletes who served as a source of inspiration for younger generations.
It was all fresh as the Olympic flame was snuffed out at the end of the Games: 2024 Paris Olympics will be remembered for the great performances and also for the way the world gathered.
