By Rafael Cañas
Paris, Aug 11 (EFE).- With a dazzling, futuristic ceremony, Paris brought to a close a Summer Olympics that will go down in history for its ambition and for transforming the city into a monumental open-air stadium.
The celebration was designed to showcase a France that is proud of its tradition, but also committed to the future, and that has played a leading role in these Games, which began on July 26 and took place in state-of-the-art facilities packed with technology and in the most important monuments of Paris, transformed into spectacular settings.
The ceremony began in the Tuileries Gardens, at the foot of the cauldron, where the singer Zaho de Sagazan performed «Sous le ciel de Paris», the most emotional song about the spirit of the city, made famous by personalities such as Edith Piaf and Yves Montand.
Then the French hero of the Games, swimmer Léon Marchand, winner of four gold medals and one bronze, symbolically withdrew the fire from the cauldron and carried it into the stadium.
In front of 71,500 spectators who filled the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, nearly 9,000 athletes and support staff from the 205 delegations participating in the Games gathered in the stadium center.
Tradition and modernity in music and dance
The musical repertoire included songs that have a special place in the hearts of the French, such as «Emmenez moi» by Charles Aznavour or «Champs Elysées» by Joe Dassin, before moving on to a more danceable repertoire such as «Freed from Desire» by Gala Rizzatto, without forgetting the inevitable «We are the champions» by Queen.
After the presentation of the medals for the women’s marathon and a tribute to the 45,000 volunteers, a ceremony called «Records», designed by Thomas Jolly, who also designed the opening ceremony, took place on a stage representing the five continents.
There were evocations of ancient Greece as the country of origin of Olympism, and the famous sculpture of the Victory of Samothrace on display at the Louvre appeared.
Dozens of masked performers descended from the stadium roof for a contemporary dance about the discovery of the Olympic rings, and lyrical performer Benjamin Bernheim sang the «Hymn to Apollo,» the most famous ancient Greek theme song.
Then five giant golden rings were suspended over the center of the stadium, in the tradition of contemporary French dance and theater performances.
Finally, hundreds of athletes took to the stage and attempted to stand on top of their countries before being told by the sound system to come down.
Then came the musical party, featuring some of the hottest names in French music, with performers such as Phoenix, Kavinsky, and Belgium’s Angèle.
«Paris has been a party»
In front of six of the most outstanding athletes of these Games, including Cuba’s Mijaín López who won his fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, the president of the organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, stressed: «We have experienced a Games like never before».
«Paris was a party and all of France was Olympic,» he added.
The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, declared that Paris 2024 «was the first Olympic Games of a new era» and stressed that the Olympic athletes «made the City of Light shine brighter than ever before».
Among the VIPs, President Emmanuel Macron and many international leaders were joined by Doug Emhoff, husband of United States Vice President Kamala Harris, and Spain’s Queen Mother Sofía.
Los Angeles 2028 gets moving
And then it was the turn of the next Olympic city to raise the flag of the five rings and give a taste of what to expect in four years.
The reference to Hollywood could not be missing. As had been leaked, actor Tom Cruise starred in a sequence reminiscent of the action films that have marked his career in recent decades, as he was lowered from the ceiling by a cable and harness.
After running among the athletes, he climbed onto the stage, picked up the Olympic flag from American gymnast Simone Biles, and rode a motorcycle on a metaphorical journey to the California metropolis.
This was followed by a live broadcast from the beaches of Los Angeles of a music party featuring performances by a variety of California-based artists, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, and Billie Eilish.
Finally, the Olympic flame, brought in a candle from the Tuileries, was extinguished and Bach, «with a heart full of emotion,» declared the Paris 2024 Olympic Games officially closed and invited the Olympic world to gather in Los Angeles in four years.
The ceremony ended with a French nod to the United States, but also a reaffirmation of pride: French singer Yseult performed the unforgettable «My Way». EFE
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