MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paris 2024 Olympic Games come to an end

Actor Tom Cruise was the main attraction during Sunday's ceremony

The Paris 2024 Olympics have come to an end. The traditional sporting competition, marred by contradicting arguments over the womanhood or lack thereof of an Algerian boxing fighter, ended with a colorful ceremony featuring US actor Tom Cruise as the main attraction performing a stunt.

 His country picked up the baton for Los Angeles 2028 before a crowd of 70,000 at the Stade de France, who cheered International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and French President Emmanuel Macron as they shook hands and waved.

The first half of Sunday's program celebrated French culture while the second half was more “Hollywood” style in preparation for the next edition. A section of the closing ceremony included the so-called “Athlete Karaoke” during which some of the Games' participants chanted Queen's iconic “We Are the Champions.”

“Despite all the tensions in our world, you came here from all 206 national Olympic committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, to make the City of Light shine brighter than ever before,” said Bach, a 1976 fencing Olympic champion. “Every performance sparked excitement around the world,” he added.

“Your performances were amazing. You competed fiercely against each other. Every contest was on the edge of perfection. Every performance sparked excitement around the world. You showed us what greatness we humans are capable of. The Olympic Games Paris 2024 were a celebration of the athletes and of sport at its best,” he went on while praising the event for being “younger, more urban, more inclusive, more sustainable,” and “the first Olympic Games with full gender parity.” The IOC chief then declared the 2024 Games closed. “See you LA...”

Cruise was lowered down to the stage by cables. He shook hands with gymnast Simone Biles, who handed him the Olympic flag. Then he attached it to the back of a motorcycle and rode off. Then Cruise was seen through the streets of Paris and then jumping out of an airplane in a pre-recorded action thriller in which the two “oo”s of Hollywood's famous sign were replaced with the multicolored Olympic rings.

Also performing in the ceremony were Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billie Eilish, among other celebrities.