U.S. ties China with 40 golds; Olympic flag handed to Los Angeles

PARIS — Movie star Tom Cruise rappelled from the roof of France’s national stadium and received the Olympic flag, bringing a heavy dose of Hollywood to the closing ceremony of the Paris Games as the French capital handed the reins to the next host, Los Angeles.

Grammy-winning R&B artist H.E.R. teased the “Mission Impossible” soundtrack as Cruise made his leap, drawing gasps from spectators as he dropped 50 meters to the floor of the Stade de France in the finale to a ceremony that blended the traditional, the obscure and the razzle-dazzle of Tinseltown.

While Paris used iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles to win the hearts of Olympians and spectators alike, L.A. was swift to turn to its star draw: A-list celebrities.

The ceremony followed two weeks of sporting drama that saw China and the United States duke it out for top spot in the medal table right down to the last event.

Echoing the heartache the Americans delivered France in the men’s basketball final, the U.S. women’s basketball team handed France a gut-wrenching one-point defeat to earn a 40th gold medal and share top spot on the medal table with China.

Paris brought down the curtain on an Olympic Games that brought scintillating sport to the heart of the capital, breathing new life into an Olympic brand hurt by the difficulties of Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Games and the soulless spirit of Tokyo’s COVID-hit event.

Even Parisians were carried away by the Olympic fervor.

“We wanted to dream. We got Leon Marchand,” Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet told the crowd, referring to the French swimmer who won four golds.

“From one day to the next, Paris became a party and France found itself. From a country of grumblers, we became a country of frenzied fans.”

‘CULTURE OF PEACE’

As the world emerged from the COVID pandemic in 2022, Paris had promised an Olympic “light at the end of the tunnel” and to provide the stage for a carefree Games.

But Russia’s war in Ukraine on Europe’s eastern flank, conflict in the Middle East and France’s heightened state of security alert loomed large as the Games got under way.

International Committee President Thomas Bach saluted the athletes as he declared the Games closed.

“During all this time, you lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other,” Bach said. “You respected each other, even if your countries are divided by war and conflict. You created a culture of peace.”

HIGH BAR FOR LOS ANGELES

Cruise’s exit on a motorbike saw the closing ceremony transition to a prerecorded video of the 62-year-old skydiving down to the Hollywood sign, where a wide shot showed the Olympic rings incorporated into the L.A. landmark.

The flag was then passed from U.S. Olympians past and present as it traversed the city before reaching a beach party, where the L.A. music icons the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has acknowledged Paris has set a high standard. But the City of Angels has billed itself as a beacon of diversity and will have Hollywood to fall back on.

“They’ve got a high bar to reach. A lot of work to do,” said James Rutledge, 59, a former banker wearing a Team USA T-shirt outside the Stade de France. “Hollywood next? That’s something to play with.”

SPORTING MEMORIES

France will take away fond sporting memories.

The French had a new golden boy to celebrate with swimmer Marchand emerging as the king of the pool, before French judoka Teddy Riner reigned supreme as he claimed his fifth Olympic gold medal.

Simone Biles put her twisties misery of Tokyo behind her, making a long-awaited Olympic return in front of a star-studded crowd. She arrived the world’s most decorated gymnast and left with a further three gold medals for her trophy cabinet.

Breaking made its Olympic debut — to some derision on social media — whilst 3×3 basketball, sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing made their second appearances.

The IOC will be relieved that no major scandals erupted, although it did have to grapple with some controversies.

A simmering doping row involving Chinese athletes hung over the Olympic swimming meet where the United States faced the biggest challenge to their reign in decades.

A storm around gender eligibility hit the women’s boxing competition, revealing the toxic relations between the IOC and a widely discredited International Boxing Association.

Meanwhile, a $1.5 billion clean-up of the Seine rewarded Paris with the optics of triathlon and marathon swimmers competing in the river through central Paris, without a wave of illness ensuing.

–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media