PIX: Dazzling show brings curtain down on Paris Games

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 thunderous applause in Paris on Sunday.

While the nearly four-hour-long innovative Opening Ceremony, held on the River Seine, showcased the architectural wonders of the city and the country's rich heritage, the closing was equally enchanting, watched by close to 75,000 fans.

The 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.

Hollywood's top gun Tom Cruise rappelled from the roof of the Stade de France before speeding off with the Olympic flag in a dramatic handover that began the countdown to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

A beaming Cruise high-fived athletes after making the roughly 160-foot descent before jumping on a motorcycle and exiting the stadium as the crowd at the 80,000-seat stadium roared.

Living up to the stunning success of the Paris Games may seem like mission impossible for LA and the celebrity-rich city will lean on its stars such as leading man Cruise as the Olympic spotlight turns to Southern California.

Cruise was among the many celebrities seen taking in the action at the Paris Games, showing up at gymnastics, swimming and soccer. 

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.

Over the past two weeks, 10,714 athletes descended on Paris to compete for medals in this global showpiece.

The United States topped the medal tally with 40 gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze, closely followed by China, which also secured 40 golds but fewer silver and bronze medals.

The ceremony, titled "Records" by the organisers, featured 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 ensured a fair sprinkling of artists who are native to the state of California, with Grammy-winning H.E.R. performing the United States national anthem live.

The closing ceremony also included 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.

India, which was represented by 117 athletes, including 47 women, in the sporting spectacle, was being represented at the Parade of Nations by two-time Olympic medallists P R Sreejesh (hockey) and Manu Bhaker (shooting).

India concluded its campaign with six medals -- one fewer than at the Tokyo Games -- with Manu securing bronze in the women's 10m air pistol and in the 10m air pistol mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh, becoming the first post-Independence athlete to win two medals.

Goalkeeper Sreejesh, who has donned the India jersey in hockey for nearly two decades and played a pivotal role in winning back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, was given the honour to be joint flag-bearer at the closing with Manu Bhaker, who was  flown back to Paris with her personal coach Jaspal Rana for the ceremony after they returned to India following the completion of the shooting events a week ago.

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024