Paris bids farewell to memorable Olympic Games with celebratory closing ceremony

PARIS: It was “au revoir” to an Olympic Games of spectacular venues, exuberant crowds and special moments on Sunday (Aug 11), with a finale fitting of the occasion.
At the Stade de France, more than 70,000 enjoyed an extravaganza celebrating not only athletes but Paris itself as well.
While the Games opened along the uncharacteristic surrounds of the Seine, France’s largest stadium in Saint-Denis took centre stage on Sunday.
It was on the stadium’s lavender track that numerous records were set, and perhaps no coincidence that “Records” was the name of the closing ceremony.
As the setting Parisian sun signalled the end of another glorious summer day, cameras panned to the Jardin des Tuileries.
There, a choir performed an ode to the French capital and its various landmarks in the form of the classic Sous le ciel de Paris. And there were roars of joy as grinning hometown hero Leon Marchand strode up to the Olympic caldron and lit a lantern with the flame.
Swimmer Marchand finished the Games with four golds and one bronze, and was undoubtedly one of the standout performers at the multi-event meet.
With the sky highlighted by soft pink hues, the entrance of the flags began. Singapore’s flag bearers were newly minted Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Maeder and kayaker Stephenie Chen.
A total of 23 athletes represented Singapore across 11 sports at the Paris Olympics. The contingent returns home with a medal – the country’s first in eight years – courtesy of 17-year-old Maeder.
There were also a number of breakthrough performances for the rest of the contingent. 
Swimmer Gan Ching Hwee netted two national records in her debut Games, Loh Kean Yew became the first Singaporean in two decades to reach a badminton quarter-final, and Chen also made history by becoming the first Singaporean kayaker to make an Olympic final.
And there was singing, dancing and joy in the air as contingent upon contingent circled their way around the stadium. 
“You created a culture of peace. This inspired all of us and billions of people around the globe,” said International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to the athletes later in the evening.
“You showed us what greatness we humans are capable of.”
As strains of We are the Champions melted into the night sky, the victory ceremony for the women’s marathon took place. Fittingly, it was one of the most indomitable athletes in sport who stood atop the podium.
The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan had clinched bronze in the women’s 5,000m event and followed that up with another bronze in the 10,000m before conquering the marathon earlier on Sunday.
The second half of the ceremony saw an artistic performance paying tribute to the origins of the Games in Greece as well as the lasting nature of the Olympic spirit.
Featuring prominently in this act was the Golden Voyager, a character inspired by France’s history.
Then it was back to the bumping beats as artists including French band Phoenix worked the crowd. This especially thrilled some athletes who rushed their way back onto the stage before an announcer had to remind them firmly to get back down.
Los Angeles will host the next edition of the Games in 2028, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as well as legendary gymnast Simone Biles were present as the Olympic flag was handed over to the city.
And if it is anything as spectacular as Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise abseiling off the roof of the Stade de France, grabbing the Olympic flag and whizzing off on a motorcycle, it promises to be a blockbuster worthy of Hollywood.
But for now, France and Paris will bask in the pride of an Olympics to remember.
“We wanted strong images, our competition venues will go down in the history of the Games. We wanted excitement, we got passion. We wanted to be inspired, we got Leon Marchand,” said president of Paris 2024 and three-time Olympic champion Tony Estanguet, whose stirring speech was met with lots of cheering.
“From one day to the next, the whole of France became Olympic.”