The Olympic Games have ended in Paris with a dystopian closing ceremony featuring a “Golden voyager” from outerspace and Tom Cruise abseiling into the stadium.
“The most difficult thing when you love is to say goodbye,” said the president of this year’s Olympics organising committee before handing over to a team representing Los Angeles, where the 2028 Olympics will be held.
Gymnast Simone Biles joined Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass to accept the Olympic flag before the US national anthem was performed by singer H.E.R..
She stayed on stage to play in Tom Cruise as he abseiled into the stadium, in a taste of what we can expect from LA’s Olympic Games.
After collecting the Olympic flag, Cruise hopped onto his motorcycle and zipped out of the stadium.
A Mission Impossible-style movie montage followed showing Cruise taking the flag to the US, complete with skydive and mad dash to the Hollywood sign.
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers then performed a live set from Venice Beach in LA followed by Billie Eilish performing her new hit Birds of a Feather.
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Rapper Snoop Dogg then appeared to perform Drop It Like Its Hot, after becoming a hit of the Paris Olympics and then was joined by Dr Dre.
Women’s marathon winner takes a stand
This was the first ever Olympic Games with gender parity, with women making up 50% of the athletes for the first time.
To honour that, the Women’s Marathon concluded the Olympic Games for the first time and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was presented with her gold medal at the closing ceremony.
There’s been ongoing controversy around a French ban on Olympic athletes wearing hijabs, however, and Hassan didn’t run in her hijab.
Instead, she appeared on the podium wearing one.
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Dystopian tribute to Ancient Greece
Soon after, a dystopian acrobatic display took over the stadium, with the “Golden Voyager” floating down from the sky.
The bejewelled figure, played by French dancer Arthur Cadre, explored a barren scene, before discovering elements of humanity and the Olympic games.
The International Olympic Committee said the “Golden Voyager lands in a world that is deserted and mysterious, ready to explore”.
Soon, he was joined by fellow outerspace travellers who paid tribute to the Olympic’s origins, which began in Ancient Greece 2,800 years ago.
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Artistic director Thomas Jolly filled the stadium with gymnasts and acrobats who rediscovered the Olympics in a world where the games no longer exist.
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A floating piano, played by Alain Roche, led a performance of the Hymn to Apollo, an ancient Greek song.
After the aliens “excavated” the Olympic rings, the five iconic symbols were hoisted in the air.
As a highlights video showing the best and most emotional moments of the Paris Olympics played, with bike crashes, heavy punches and tears all included, the athletes “stormed the stage”, dancing around bands and musicians.
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French band Phoenix were then joined by electronic musician Kavinsky, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and Belgian singer-songwriter Angèle, among others.
The ceremony concluded with a huge rendition of My Way, performed by French singer Yseult.
