Paris closes ‘Seine-sational’Summer Games

PARIS, France (AFP) — Hollywood star Tom Cruise abseiled from the roof of the Stade de France at the climax of the Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Monday (Manila time), leaving the country to reluctantly bid farewell to a Games hailed as one of the most successful in history.

Cruise descended on a wire in front of 71,500 spectators, grabbed the Olympic flag and jumped on a motorbike, to the delight of athletes and fans.

In a preview of what the world can expect when the Games head to Los Angeles in 2028, the “Mission Impossible” star was then shown boarding a plane and skydiving into the Californian city before adorning the iconic Hollywood sign with the Olympic rings.

‘Keep the flame alive.’

Los Angeles band Red Hot Chili Peppers, singer Billie Eilish and rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre then performed a mini-concert on a beach framed by the azure waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Newspapers in France and Europe hailed a fitting end to a dazzling fortnight that has mixed sport and culture while modernizing the Olympic format.

“Keep the flame alive,” said the front-page headline of France’s biggest sports newspaper, L’Equipe, which featured new national hero Leon Marchand and urged French people to maintain the spirit “of this enchanted fortnight.”

Le Monde newspaper also pondered France’s future and its tendency for pessimism in the light of two weeks of celebration, sporting success and almost faultless organization.

“The Paris Games offered the capital and the entire country more than two weeks of fervour and happiness that were so unexpected and appreciated given that they came after a political period dominated by the sad passions of decline and xenophobia,” it said.

The closing spectacle marked the beginning of the four-year countdown to the LA Games, and American gymnastics icon Simone Biles joined Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass as the Olympic flag was formally handed over.

Earlier, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said the Paris Games had been “sport at its best.”