Paris bids triumphant 'au revoir' to Olympics: Video

Paris bid a spectacular farewell to the Olympics on August 11, closing an event that has been hailed as one of the greatest in history.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach praised the Games as “sport at its best” and playfully dubbed them “Seine-sational,” referencing the river featured in the opening ceremony.

The closing ceremony saw around 9,000 athletes celebrated by 270 performers in a tribute to the spirit of sport.

Léon Marchand, the French swimmer who won four gold medals, started the ceremony by collecting the Olympic flame from the Tuileries Gardens and bringing it to the Stade de France. French rugby star Antoine Dupont, who led France to a rugby sevens gold, carried the national flag into the stadium as athletes filled the field.

The ceremony also marked the start of the countdown to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Simone Biles and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass received the Olympic flag, while Tom Cruise made a dramatic entrance by abseiling into the stadium and then riding off on a motorbike.

A pre-filmed segment showed Cruise travelling from Paris to Los Angeles, skydiving into the city, and decorating the Hollywood sign with Olympic rings. The event concluded with performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish.

The Games, held over 17 days against Paris’s iconic landmarks, ended with the United States finishing at the top of the medal table, just ahead of China. The US women’s basketball team clinched the final gold medal with a 67-66 win over France, giving the USA a total of 126 medals compared to China’s 91.