Olympics closing ceremony LIVE!
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially drew to a finish tonight with what was an entertaining and star-studded closing ceremony. Whereas a rainy opening equivalent was staged across the famous city as athletes from every country came by boat down the iconic River Seine, this evening had a far more traditional feel about it with the action taking place inside the Stade de France.
Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise had a thrilling role in proceedings as he abseiled off the roof to collect the Olympic flag for Los Angeles, host of the next summer Games in 2028. There were also a number of performances from top musical acts including the likes of Snoop Dogg, Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dr Dre.
Alex Yee and Bryony Page acted as Team GB’s flagbearers for the event on Sunday night after winning thrilling gold medals in the men’s triathlon and women’s trampolining disciplines respectively. Follow all the latest news and updates from the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony live below!
Olympics closing ceremony latest updates
Tom Cruise abseils off roof to collect Olympic flag for Los Angeles
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre all perform
Swimming star Leon Marchand transports Olympic flame to Stade de France
Alex Yee and Bryony Page carry Team GB flag in closing ceremony
Sifan Hassan, Tigst Assefa and Hellen Obiri receive marathon medals
Goodbye
23:21 , George Flood
And that does it for our live coverage of tonight’s closing ceremony and the Paris Olympics as a whole.
Thanks very much for following our live coverage of what has been a truly memorable Games over the last fortnight.
Until LA in 2028! Goodnight.
Closing ceremony ends with 'My Way' and fireworks galore
23:12
A stunning conclusion to a memorable closing ceremony as French singer-songwriter and model Yseultbelts out ‘My Way’ before a wonderful array of fireworks light up the night-time sky in Paris, where it has now gone midnight.
Popularised by Frank Sinatra in 1969 of course, ‘My Way’ is set to the tune of French song Comme d'habitude - initially performed by Claude Francois.
What a performance. Supreme vocals.
Olympic flame extinguished as Leon Marchand returns
23:06 , George Flood
There’s Leon Marchand! I worried he’d got lost there for a moment.
Accompanied by the likes of Teddy Riner and Thomas Bach, the Olympic flame is extinguished as France’s swimming superstar again soaks up the adulation of the crowd.
The French flag is then passed on by rugby superstar and sevens gold medalist Antoine Dupont to France’s team of Paralympic athletes.
Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre all perform
22:56
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are followed on the sun-kissed, sandy LA beach by first Billie Eilish and then Snoop Dogg, sporting full US Olympic regalia.
Now here’s Dr Dre! They break out into a rendition of west-coast hip-hop classic ‘The Next Episode’.
Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at Venice Beach
22:50 , George Flood
The likes of four-time Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson take on the flag and help it through LA in the pre-recorded video.
Now we have a live performance from the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Venice Beach...
Tom Cruise rides away with Olympic flag on motorcycle
22:44 , George Flood
Tom Cruise eventually jogs across the stage, shakes hands with LA mayor Karen Bass and takes possession of the Olympic flag.
He then heads down some steps before riding away with it on the back of a motorcycle.
Now ‘By the Way’ by the Red Hot Chili Peppers starts up as we head into a pre-recorded ‘Mission Impossible’ type video, showing Cruise in full Ethan Hunt mode getting the flag over to LA.
Tom Cruise abseils off Stade de France roof to collect Olympic flag
22:42 , George Flood
A great rendition from H.E.R.
And there he is!
Tom Cruise on top of the Stade de France as he is then lowered down to ground level on a wire while H.E.R busts out the guitar solo.
Cruise then walks through the crowd of athletes, slapping hands with everyone as he walks past.
Paris to Los Angeles Olympic handover underway
22:38 , George Flood
We’ve first seen the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, hand over the Olympic flag to Los Angeles counterpart Karen Bass, who is accompanied on stage by superstar USA gymnast Simone Biles.
Now R&B singer H.E.R will sing the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.
Olympic anthem plays before LA handover
22:33 , George Flood
A long speech from Thomas Bach concludes and now we’ll have a choir rendition of the Olympic anthem, accompanied by an orchestra.
Then it will surely, finally, be time for the handover to LA.
Los Angeles Olympic handover coming up
22:29
The worst moment of the night sewn up there as Thomas Bach brings out a rather cringeworthy ‘Seine-sational pun’.
I could hear the groans around the Stade de France from here.
By the way, this ceremony was supposed to finish at 10:30pm BST.
We’re approaching that time now and we’ve not even started the handover portion of the night.
Both of these ceremonies have been too long for my money.
Sometimes shorter is sweeter.
Tony Estanguet and IOC president Thomas Bach at the podium
22:24 , George Flood
A terrific speech from Tony Estanguet focusing on the inspirational element of these Games.
He also welcomes everyone back for the ‘greatest return match’ in the form of the Paris Paralympics, which take place from August 28 until September 8.
IOC president Thomas Bach is now at the podium.
Bach announced earlier this weekend that he will step down next year and not seek re-election beyond the end of his second term.
That could well leave the door open for Seb Coe, who said earlier today that he would “of course” consider throwing his hat into the ring...
22:21
The British athletes enjoying themselves at this Paris closing ceremony...
Paris 2024 organising committee chief gives rousing speech
22:17 , George Flood
Flanked by the likes of legendary French judoka Teddy Riner, we will now have a rousing speech from the head of the Paris 2024 organising committee, Tony Estanguet.
Estanguet is a three-time Olympic champion C1 canoeist, in Sydney, Athens and London.
Olympics closing ceremony
22:06 , George Flood
A valiant effort from Phoenix and their assorted guests as we move into more montage territory.
25 minutes (ish) left to go here and still no sign of the likes of Tom Cruise, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
You have to imagine those sorts of performances will come during the portion of the evening when Paris officially hands over the Olympic flame to Los Angeles for 2028.
Anyone checked in on Leon Marchand, by the way?
Poor bloke deserves a rest after his historic Games.
Olympics closing ceremony
22:02
Phoenix now playing ‘1901’, surely their biggest hit from back in 2009.
It reached No1 on the American alternative songs chart.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:59 , George Flood
Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel, better known as French music duo Air, will be joining Phoenix on stage shortly.
Ezra Koenig - the lead singer of American indie giants Vampire Weekend - is also now in the mix.
Does that count as our first big American guest star of the evening?
Olympics closing ceremony
21:57 , George Flood
Next to join Phoenix on stage is VannDa, a Cambodian rapper.
A man in a black hood is now producing a very nice guitar solo.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:53 , George Flood
French electro house act Kavinsky has now joined Phoenix on stage.
A good rendition of 2010 hit ‘Nightcall’ follows.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:49 , George Flood
Right, time for some music now after what the BBC describe as some “rogue athletes” who made their way onto the stage are promptly cleared away.
First up is Versailles-based rock bandPhoenix.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:45 , George Flood
As if playing the piano normally wasn’t hard enough...
Olympics closing ceremony
21:44 , George Flood
The glowing Olympic rings slowly ascend and our golden voyager climbs to the top of a pyramid made up of the white-clad acrobats.
He is presumably content to return home now he’s finished his journey of Olympic discovery.
That was quite something. Felt like I was watching some sort of sci-fi flick for the most part.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:40 , George Flood
Our white and gold aliens (really sorry if you aren’t meant to be aliens, guys) continue work moving around the rings amid some brilliant acrobatic moves.
Any chance of our golden voyager lending a hand or is this a butterfly effect sort of deal?
By the way, that was Benjamin Bernheim singing a short while ago and Alain Roche on the floating red glowing piano.
Not the same Alain Roche that used to play in midfield for PSG in the 90s, I’m reliably informed.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:33 , George Flood
Is there going to be some sort of big unveiling with this golden voyager, do we think?
I hope so.
We’ve now got a live musical number as our group of what I’m assuming are aliens slowly move around one of the rings as a pianist plays on a floating piano.
Not a sentence I thought I’d be typing today, but here we are.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:28 , George Flood
A lovely orchestral accompaniment to what I’m guessing here is work from a number of masked figures in white and gold to hoist aloft the Olympic rings?
The golden voyager looks on in wonder.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:26 , George Flood
We’re into a couple of dance numbers now as the golden voyager continues their journey of Olympic discovery.
I’m not sure I fully get it if I’m being honest, but I’m enjoying it.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:24 , George Flood
Quite a night this for our golden voyager, who is now meeting Nike - the Greek goddess of victory associated with the Ancient Games.
There are light bands held up around the stands and the music builds again, with snippets playing in the background regarding the modern revival of the Games.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:21 , George Flood
It appears that this mysterious golden voyager - who has some great moves, by the way - is on a journey of Olympic discovery.
They discover how the Ancient Games were first founded as the Greek national anthem plays in the background and their flag is hoisted aloft by two more mysterious masked figures.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:19 , George Flood
A golden, extra-terrestrial-esque figure appears at the top of one of the stands and then descends into the middle of the stadium as the lights flash at an otherwise pitch dark Stade de France.
The tension-building music continues, the crowd totally silent.
Olympics closing ceremony
21:17 , George Flood
Right, now it is indeed time for the artistic portion of tonight’s show.
The lights go out and the drumbeats are building.
Let’s see what artistic director Thomas Jolly has up his sleeve this time after an opening ceremony that certainly divided opinion.
This already feels pretty epic, I must say...
Olympic volunteers honoured
21:11 , George Flood
A nice moment now as we give thanks to the Olympic volunteers.
Seven-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix, Jessica Fox, Marcus Daniell and Kim Bui now come out as the newly-elected members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC).
They lead the thanks to the selfless volunteers, who are also given a bouquet of flowers.
I think the artistic portion of tonight’s show is coming up.
Sifan Hassan receives gold medal for women's marathon
21:06
At last here come IOC president Thomas Bach and World Athletics counterpart Seb Coe, and it’s time for the medal presentation for the women’s marathon.
What a stage on which to receive your medals!
The incredible Sifan Hassan, Tigst Assefaand Hellen Obiri all stand proudly on the podium.
It was those golds today for Hassan and Harrie Lavreysen in the men’s keirin that saw the Netherlands beat Great Britain into sixth place in the final medal table.
15 golds is by far the Dutch’s best Olympic performance ever in that regard, although their finally tally of 34 medals was actually two fewer than Tokyo in 2021.
Olympics closing ceremony
20:57
A bit of ‘Freed from Desire’ now - feels like we’re at Euro 2016 or a Wigan away game circa 2015-19.
Where’s Will Grigg when you need him?
Now time for a rendition of ‘We are the Champions’ by Queen.
Feel like we’re filling time a bit at the moment, I won’t lie.
Chants of ‘Allez Les Bleus’ ripple around the crowd.
Women's marathon medal presentation coming up
20:52 , George Flood
We’ll have one final medal presentation soon, for the women’s marathon which took place this morning.
Sifan Hassan won a dramatic third Olympic gold for the Netherlands, just ahead of the current world-record holder Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia.
Bronze went to Hellen Obiri of Kenya.
But while they take time setting up the stage, it seems that fans and athletes alike are being encouraged to engage in a spot of group karaoke.
Altogether now!
Olympics closing ceremony
20:49 , George Flood
I don’t want to be accused of being an old crank here, but any chance we could turn this music down?!
It’s absolutely blaring out as the athletes continue to soak up the adulation of the crowd.
Ah, that’s better. It’s stopped and we can let the natural atmosphere being created by an excited crowd take centre stage for a change.
Olympics closing ceremony
20:45
The covered purple track that hosted all of the thrilling athletics action at these Games is really filling up now as the athletes from each nation continue to pour into the Stade de France.
Interesting that many teams are just in their usual tracksuits, but the whole British team are wearing the same floral shirt and shorts combo showcased by Alex Yee and Bryony Page.
They certainly stand out!
Olympics closing ceremony
20:40 , George Flood
A closer look at Alex Yee and Bryony Page clearly having a blast as they carry the flag of Great Britain inside the Stade de France...
Olympics closing ceremony
20:37 , George Flood
We’re still in the midst of the long athletes’ parade at the moment, all smiling and waving their mini flags as they enter the stadium.
As the BBC rightly point out, this certainly isn’t everyone.
Many competitors whose events ended a long time ago have already left Paris.
Great to see all the medal winners wearing and showing off their rewards so proudly.
Olympics closing ceremony
20:30
After the flagbearers come the rest of the athletes from each nation, all soaking up the atmosphere inside a bouncing Stade de France.
The music is absolutely blaring.
Olympics closing ceremony
20:28
Rugby superstar Antoine Dupont and women’s cross-country mountain biking champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot carry the French flag in this closing ceremony.
Swimming icon Katie Ledecky is doing it for the USA, along with rowing gold medalist Nick Mead.
Swimmers Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry are carrying the flag of the Republic of Ireland after their most successful Olympics ever that ended with seven medals for 19th place in the final table - four golds and three bronze.
Alex Yee and Bryony Page carry Great Britain flag
20:20
Here come the flagbearers!
It’s not a slow, staggered, one-at-a-time entrance like we’re used to seeing in the opening ceremonies of Olympic Games.
Rather everyone is coming in together, led as always by Greece.
There are Team GB’s gold medal heroes Alex Yee and Bryony Page, looking relaxed in their snazzy matching shirt and short combinations.
Was that a little stumble from Mr Yee? I think he just about got away with it...
20:16
French president Emmanuel Macron and IOC chief Thomas Bach both receive the applause of the crowd as we move to some delightful orchestral performances back inside a packed Stade de France.
They will kick off with the national anthem, La Marseillaise.
A lovely, softer rendition.
Leon Marchand carrying Olympic flame to the Stade de France
20:11 , George Flood
Roars from the watching crowd inside the Stade de France as a suited-and-booted Leon Marchand suddenly appears at the Olympic cauldron, picking up a lantern containing the flickering flame.
He’s got a long walk ahead to take that back to the stadium.
What a home Games for swimming superstar Marchand, who made history with no fewer than four gold medals.
Olympics closing ceremony underway
20:07
We’re underway in tonight’s Olympics closing ceremony!
Thankfully we’ll have no repeat of the torrid rainy weather that blighted the opening ceremony.
It’s a stunning evening in Paris with the sun setting gloriously on the River Seine.
We’ll start with a couple of musical numbers out by the Paris Olympic cauldron.
19:55
Almost time to get underway at a sold-out Stade de France!
A great sense of anticipation for tonight’s glamorous closing ceremony.
It’s unsurprisingly the hottest ticket in town, with no shortage of superstars performing and famous dignitaries in the stands.
Eiffel Tower evacuated after man climbs iconic landmark
19:46 , George Flood
Paris authorities had to evacuate the Eiffel Tower just hours before the Olympics closing ceremony earlier today.
A shirtless man was seen scaling the iconic landmark on Sunday, leading to police having to escort away visitors.
Some who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed to leave around 30 minutes later.
More than 30,000 police officers have been deployed around Paris and beyond to watch over the last Olympic events and Sunday's closing ceremony.
France's interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilised around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilised late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Games.
Read the full story here
BOA chief: Team GB should celebrate medal success despite low finish
19:29 , George Flood
British Olympic Association (BOA) chief executive Andy Anson insists that Team GB should not be disappointed with their lowest finish in the Olympic medal table since 2004.
Third behind France and the Netherlands in terms of European nations will surely be a frustration, with chef de mission Mark England previously insisting that the “wheels are going to have to come off” for Britain not to be in the top five.
"It's hard to feel like that when we've won 65 medals,” Anson said today.
"It's frustrating to be seventh in the medal table, but we've got to celebrate first the number of fantastic moments, the way athletes have won their medals.
"It's about this continual fine tuning figuring out what can be done better to move forward.
"The middle bit of the medal table below the United States and China feels incredibly competitive."
USA pip China to top spot in medal table after dramatic final gold
19:20 , George Flood
The USA ended top of the medal table once again today - and in the most dramatic of fashion.
Their women’s basketball team followed their male counterparts by beating hosts France 67-66 in a thrilling gold medal match, just holding on as Gabby Williams’ last-gasp buzzer-beater to tie the game was agonisingly ruled a two-pointer as she had her foot just on the three-point line.
That saw the USA tie China on golds at the last with 40, but they outdid them easily on total medals - 126 to 91.
The USA had 44 silvers and 42 bronzes, in comparison to China’s 27 and 24 respectively.
The USA also leapfrogged China on the final day at Tokyo 2020...
Team GB beat Tokyo medal haul but gold drop leads to 20-year low
19:04 , George Flood
Those two final bronzes earlier on Sunday took Team GB’s tally for the Paris Games to 65, one more than they managed in Tokyo in 2021 but with eight fewer golds.
It is their second-best overseas haul to date, behind only Rio de Janeiro in 2016, when they claimed 67 with 27 golds.
It is the same number of medals won on home soil at London 2012, but with 15 fewer golds.
They ended up seventh in the final medal table in Paris, behind the USA, China, Japan, Australia, France and the Netherlands.
That is Britain’s lowest finish since they came 10th in back-to-back Games at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
It was also their lowest collection of golds since winning nine in Greece two decades ago.
Emily Campbell wins another Olympic medal in weightlifting
18:52 , George Flood
There was another bronze for Team GB in the weightlifting, with Emily Campbell placing third in the women’s +81kg category to add to the +87kg silver she won in Tokyo three years ago.
Campbell set a new combined personal best of 288kg over the snatch and clean-and-jerk events before celebrating with a cartwheel.
She is the first British weightlifter to win two Olympic medals for more than 50 years.
"The field was tough today and the level compared to Tokyo was so much higher, and I knew I had to bring out the big guns," she said.
"It's been a really tough road to these Games, and my family have been there every step of the way supporting me, and it's great that they get to celebrate out here.
“They are absolutely nuts and they are going to be on a high for the rest of the day.
"When I started weightlifting the plan was to make the Olympics in Paris and try to go for a medal.
“Tokyo was a bonus along the way, but today I have achieved the goal that I set out to do."
Emma Finucane completes medal treble for Team GB on final day
18:42 , George Flood
There were two final bronzes for Team GB on the final day of action in Paris earlier on.
Emma Finucane won her bronze medal showdown with the Netherlands’ Hetty van de Wouw in the women’s individual sprint over at the velodrome.
The cycling superstar had already won bronze (behind Van der Wouw) in the keirin and record-breaking gold alongside Katy Marchant and Sophie Capewell in the team sprint.
Finucane is the first British female athlete to secure a hat-trick of podium finishes at the same Games since the legendary Mary Rand won long jump, pentathlon and 4x100m relay medals at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.
Alex Yee and Bryony Page named Team GB flagbearers for closing ceremony
18:24
A lengthy opening ceremony in Paris that split opinion and took place in the driving, non-stop rain was unique in that it was hosted all over the city, with athletes from every nation not walking into a stadium as usual but rather paraded on boats down the iconic River Seine instead.
A more traditional ceremony is expected tonight inside the Stade de France, which hosted all the athletics and rugby sevens action at the Games.
Every country will have flagbearers once again, with diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover now handing over that honour to Alex Yee and Bryony Page this evening.
Yee won an astonishing gold in the men’s triathlon as well as bronze in the mixed triathlon relay to add to his gold and silver medals from Tokyo three years ago.
Page, meanwhile, completed her Olympic set with an amazing gold in the women’s trampolining, after winning silver in Rio de Janeiro and bronze in Tokyo.
Who is performing at the Olympics closing ceremony?
18:15 , George Flood
There have been plenty of excitable rumours over just which music superstars will be performing at tonight’s closing ceremony as Paris officially hands the Olympics over to Los Angeles for 2028, with Lady Gaga and Celine Dion having done the honours at the opening ceremony last month.
It seems that Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are all set to be involved, while there were even unconfirmed whispers over the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyonce, among others.
Hollywood great Tom Cruise is expected to perform an eye-catching stunt at the Stade de France, presumably in the guise of his Mission Impossible character Ethan Hunt.
American R&B singer H.E.R is expected to perform the American national anthem, with US chat show legend Jimmy Fallon also among those linked with an appearance tonight.
How to watch Olympics closing ceremony tonight
18:06 , George Flood
TV channel:The Olympics closing ceremony will be shown live in the UK tonight on both BBC One and Eurosport 1.
Coverage starts at 7pm BST on the former and 6:30pm BST on the latter.
Live stream:You can also watch the closing ceremony live online via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website, while subscribers can also head over to the Discovery+ app and website.
Olympics closing ceremony live
18:03 , George Flood
Good evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony.
It’s been an unforgettable fortnight of action in Paris, who will be eager to bring a truly memorable Games to a close in fine style with an event poised to feature some of the biggest stars from the world of entertainment.
It promises to be a night of celebration at the Stade de France as the Olympic torch is officially handed over to Los Angeles to begin the countdown for 2028.
We’re scheduled to be underway at 8pm BST, so stay tuned throughout the evening for live news and updates.
