Paris bid a triumphant "au revoir" to the Olympics on Sunday as the curtain came down on its widely praised staging of the global sporting spectacular. A star-studded closing ceremony got under way in front of around 71,500 spectators at the Stade de France to crown an event that has been broadly acclaimed as one of the greatest editions of the Olympics ever held. Follow our liveblog to see how the ceremony unfolded.
Summary:
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Paris closed out two and a half extraordinary weeks of Olympic sports and emotion with a boisterous, star-studded show in France’s national stadium on Sunday, handing over hosting duties for the Summer Games to the next city in line: Los Angeles in 2028.
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Tom Cruise made a dramatic entry into the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics at the Stade de France on Sunday. The Hollywood superstar abseiled into the arena from the roof and then grabbed the Olympic flag, before jumping on a motorbike, to roars from the crowd.
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LA is expected to play heavily on its star power at the ceremony, with pop star Billie Eilish, rapper Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers all confirmed.
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The closing ceremony directed by Thomas Jolly, the mastermind of spectacular opening ceremony which took place on the River Seine, took place at the stadium in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis at 9pm (2000 GMT).
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
