Скачать или смотреть Fireworks mark the end of the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics

(11 Aug 2024)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4511596

Clients note: This item contains on-screen graphics, including AP branding.
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY: AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP AND SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE
Saint-Denis, France - 12 August 2024
1. Various of fireworks above Stade de France at end of the closing ceremony

STORYLINE:
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.

In a display of Hollywood showmanship, Tom Cruise descended from the top of the French stadium to the “Mission Impossible” theme song, shaking hands with athletes, before taking the Olympic flag from star gymnast Simone Biles, putting it on the back of a motorcycle and driving out of the stadium.

In a pre-recorded ride past the Eiffel Tower, Cruise drove his bike onto a plane and then skydived out of it over the Hollywood Hills. Three rings were added to the O's of the famed Hollywood sign to create five interlaced Olympic rings.

It was just one of the highlights of the closing ceremony that put a final flourish to Paris’ first Games in a century, with an artistic show that celebrated Olympic themes, golden fireworks and thousands of athletes partying into the night.

In their enthusiasm, crowds of athletes rushed the stage during a highlight video from the Games, and stadium announcements in French and English urged them to double back. Some of them stayed, surrounding Grammy-winning French pop-rock band Phoenix as they played, before security and volunteers cleared the stage.

For Los Angeles, topping Paris could be mission impossible. The French capital made spectacular use of its cityscape for its first Games in 100 years. The Eiffel Tower and other iconic monuments became Olympic stars in their own right, serving as backdrops and in some cases venues for competitions.

But LA was bringing star power of its own: singer Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, rapper and Paris Olympics mainstay Snoop Dogg — plus long-time collaborator Dr. Dre — performed at Venice Beach as part of the handover from the City of Light to the City of Angels.

Each of the music artists is a California native, including H.E.R., who sang the U.S. national anthem live at the Stade de France, which hosted Olympic track and field and rugby sevens. The audience was expected to top 70,000 people.

At the start of the show, the stadium crowd roared as French swimmer Léon Marchand, dressed in a suit and tie instead of the swim trunks he wore to win four golds, was shown on the giant screens collecting the Olympic flame from the Tuileries Gardens in Paris.

There, the Olympic cauldron — powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels — had lit up the French capital for the duration of the Games, thrilling crowds by rising into the skies on a balloon every night.

As a delicate pink sunset gave way to night, athletes marched into the stadium waving the flags of their 205 countries and territories — a display of global unity in a world gripped by global tensions and conflicts, including those in Ukraine and Gaza. The stadium screens carried the words, “Together, united for peace.”

With the 329 medal events finished, the expected 9,000 athletes — many wearing their shiny medals — and team staffers filled the arena, dancing and cheering to thumping beats.













AP video by Ahmed Hatem

===========================================================


Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...