Paris Olympics 2024 Closing Ceremony Highlights: Olympics flag officially handed over to Los Angeles for 2028 as Paris 2024 draws to a close

2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony Highlights: Olympics flag officially handed over to Los Angeles for 2028 as Paris 2024 draws to a close. Follow Sportskeeda for Olympics closing ceremony 2024 live updates

It's 3.15 AM on Monday here in India. It's been a long ride but a super fun one and all of us at Sportskeeda are blessed to have been a part of it. You readers made it all the more special and we can't thank you enough in words as to how much we value your presence and company, one which we hope will continue for a long, long time to come. There's so much sport to keep us all intrigued in any case and while we will be back with our coverage of the Olympic Games in LA in 2028, we will be with you for so much other sporting action in the coming days and months. For now though, taking your leave and hitting the sack is the troika of Maanas Upadhyay, Lavil Saldanha and Sooryanarayanan Sesha. Merci and Au Revoir.

And that is that! The curtains come down on Paris 2024! Gee whiz it seems only yesterday that we were building up towards the opening ceremony and just like that, time has zoomed by and we now have to wait four more years for another set of Olympic Games. It seems long but considering how time flies, it won't be too long either!

What an edition of the Olympic Games we've witnessed though! It all began with a glitzy opening ceremony that received mixed opinions from all corners even as there was no dearth to star quotient - from Lady Gaga to veteran athletes such as Zinedine Zidane and Rafael Nadal. But once the competition began, we were all immersed into it and how! So much so that we're bound to have serious withdrawal symptoms over the next few days, of that there is little doubt.

USA and China dominated the competition again but France had a campaign to remember, as did Australia and Japan. South Korea continued to do their bit too, particularly in the Archery events as they racked up one gold medal after another. There were a host of superstars who continued to enrich their already solid legacy: from Katie Ledecky creating a new Olympic Record in the 1500m swimming final to Armand Duplantis smashing another world record in the men's pole vault final; from Simone Biles completing a most marvelous redemption after what happened in Tokyo to Novak Djokovic finally getting the monkey off his back and 'completing tennis'. And of course, there were history makers as Arshad Nadeem smashed the Olympic Record en route to the javelin gold and Julien Alfred wrote St. Lucia into eternal folklore with the women's 100m gold - the first ever Olympic medal for the country.

But how can we not look into the Indian contingent? It was a campaign of 'what ifs' considering how close so many participants came to winning a medal - Lakshya Sen, Arjun Babuta, Mirabai Chanu, Nishant Dev - the list goes on and on. And of course, there was all that heartbreak around Vinesh Phogat which still remains hard to digest. A verdict is yet to come as to whether she will be awarded a joint silver or not. But that is something that time will tell...

Sticking to the Indian contingent though, we simply must acknowledge the medalists - it began with Manu Bhaker completing a beautiful redemption arc on Day 2 of Paris 2024, pocketing a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event. Or so we thought, for it wasn't the completion but the beginning of her redemption arc as two days later, she pocketed another bronze alongside Sarabjot Singh in the mixed 10m air pistol shooting before so nearly adding a third medal a few days later.

It was a great outing for Swapnil Kusale too as he bagged India's third medal - another bronze, this time in the men's 50m rifle three positions event. The next three medals took some time to arrive with a host of heartbreaks in between but the Indian men's hockey team delivered another bronze, giving their superstar goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a fitting farewell. The golden boy of Indian sport, Neeraj Chopra, couldn't defend his gold but will return to India with a silver, all while battling a groin injury at that. And a debut Olympics campaign turned out to be memorable for Aman Sehrawat, as India's only male representative in wrestling bagged a bronze to become the youngest Indian individual Olympic medalist at the age of 21.

Cruise now collects the Olympic flag from Simone Biles, mounts it on a bike and takes off on a ride through the city of Paris and into an airplane. 'I'm on my way' he says! Of course, most of this is pre-recorded as the video shows him skydiving off the airplane and mounting the flag on the iconic mountain that reads HOLLYWOOD! America, it's over to you for 2028!

A performance by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg follows before the athletes are congratulated and the Olympic Games are officially declared as closed!

And well well - Tom Cruise is in the house! And of course, he has to arrive in his own, unique fashion - dropping down from the sky! It's not Mission: Impossible even as he enters with the theme in the background but he doesn't need an occasion to perform a stunt, does he? He greets a host of athletes, one of whom also takes the opportunity to take a selfie with him. They are all starstruck!

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, passes on the Olympic flag to Thomas Bach, who in turn hands it over to the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. USA's gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is also on stage and is holding the Olympic flag with Bass as the national anthem of the United States of America is now being played.

Now to one of the most important parts of an Olympic Closing Ceremony - the handover ceremony as Paris will pass the baton onto Los Angeles, the hosts of the 2028 edition of the Summer Olympics.

Thomas Bach addresses the gathering. And now, it's time for the Olympic Anthem.

Lest we forget, Estanguet duly mentioned one important record broken at Paris 2024 - that of the most marriage proposals at an Olympic Games! Oh those surely melted our hearts alright!

Estanguet calls upon all fans to join them once again from 28th August for the Paralympic Games. And we do too - do join us back at Sportskeeda for the coverage of India's para-athletes!

We have got six representatives on stage now - one from each continent and one from the Olympics refugee team. Tony Estanguet, chief of the Paris Olympics 2024, is on the dais and gives a speech while Thomas Bach waits in anticipation for his turn.

A montage of the torch being passed around is shown and a hot-air balloon has been lit and set off in the sky

The athletes have exited the stage and now enjoy a show by Phoenix, the band which gets the after-party started for the athletes and the crowd present!

The athletes now take to the stage, which has been laid out to resemble the map of the world.

We now see a montage encapsulating the best moments over the course of the Paris Olympics! Many an iconic moment that will be etched into sporting folklore forever!

And here come the Olympic Rings! Forever iconic, aren't they?

It's now time for the Greek national anthem as the Greek flag is also hoisted. This is in line with recognizing the origin of the Olympic Games with the very first set of Games held in Athens in 1896.

Floodlights off, flashlights on - it's a sight to behold at Stade De France. And now, we have a Golden Voyager dropping down from the sky and putting on a performance. It's a reference to France's rich history and a tribute to the same.

A promo plays out, showcasing the people's marathon. The organisers had let people run the same marathon course as the Olympic athletes, giving them the opportunity to feel like champions.

We now move onto the victory ceremony of the women's marathon which concluded earlier in the day. The race will be remembered for how Kinzang Lhamo of Bhutan, who finished last, was encouraged by the Paris crowd to complete her race and was cheered every step of the way. Thomas Bach is present to hand out the medals, as is Lord Sebastian Coe, World Athletics President.

We now move onto a Karaoke performance. It's as good as a musical concert right now with the athletes dancing their hearts out! More contingents make their way in. 'We are the champions' is being played out as we speak.

The closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics begin!🇫🇷#Paris2024 #SKIndianSports #Olympics pic.twitter.com/1j2OcXJa7k
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) August 11, 2024

And now come the most successful team at Paris 2024 - the United States of America. With 40 gold, 44 silver and 42 bronze medals, they have now topped the Summer Olympics table for a record 19th time in what is their 30th appearance!

Now that's a very cool shirt that the athletes of Great Britain are sporting, while waving their flags and saying hello right into the cameras!

The Chinese contingent makes its way out now. Lots of smiles and flag-waving after yet another successful campaign - second on the medal tally behind the USA. The Spaniards are here as well. And quite a few medal winners are wearing it proudly over their necks and flaunting their triumph at these Games - including Imane Khalif, who shows off her gold medal with a lot of joy and pride. So she should, after all that she has been through!

The contingents continue to make their way out. The Bermudians look incredibly jovial, dressed in pink colored tees and jumping and dancing about. They're all having a gala time dancing about and soaking in the atmosphere.

We can now see a host of other athletes from the participant nations making their way out. Oh the joy on their faces - it's as if they're here for a party!

Stade De France is the place to be! It's a proper picture and we're envious of all those who are experiencing this atmosphere in person!

And now, the flagbearers make their way out into the cauldron of the Stade De France. It begins with those of the Refugee Olympic Team with the flagbearers of each participant nation then following suit one after another. While the broadcast hasn't captured their faces yet, we can see a glimpse of PR Sreejesh and Manu Bhaker with the Indian tricolor!

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, greet the sellout crowd at Stade De France. All and sundry rise for the French national anthem.

Alrighty! The Closing Ceremony of Paris 2024 is underway. And it begins with a rendition by an orchestra. Following right after is a certain Leon Marchand, who bagged a small matter of four golds and one bronze medal at these Games. The French swimmer, suited up and looking real dapper, makes his way towards the Stade De France!

Lavil: Indeed, 4th place finishes were like cardamom in a biryani. India's 4th place finishes throughout left a bad taste in the mouth, but when we look back and have a thought, it inspires us and fills us with promise. Take for instance the Skeet team of Maheshwari Chouhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka. They came so close to securing yet another bronze for India but lost to China by 1 point. Hopefully, our athletes will convert these 4th place finishes to a medal the next time

Maanas: Oh definitely, we're going to be dreading the number four now for the next, ironically, four years. It all started in shooting, with Arjun Babuta missing out by an X, Manu Bhaker bowing out and missing bronze on a tiebreaker, the mixed skeet team, Dhiraj Bommadevara missing out on a medal after playing some of his best archery, Lakshya Sen, and of course Mirabai Chanu, who battled her period cramps to play. Even if they aren't remembered by most, we'll certainly have their performances etches in our memories.

Soorya: Oh all iconic moments alright! Lakshya Sen's no-look whip will live rent-free in my head forever. And speaking of Sen, it was so close, yet so far for him and so many Indian participants at Paris 2024. It's not a happy memory but the fact that India's medal tally could have looked different had the rub of the green gone their way is something that will be spoken of for long...

Lavil: Yusuf Dikec became an overnight sensation like Lakshya's 'that' shot! Imagine being in a high-pressure quarterfinal, an inch here and there and you could be on your way back home! Unreal from the 22-year-old to pull it off in a situation like that and advance into the quarterfinals. Another moment that I believe was great was the snake shot played by the Swedish paddler against China. Truly, the Paris Olympics 2024 has given us moments, both good and bad, that we will be remembering for some time to come

Maanas: Well, the incredible aura of Yusuf definitely makes it one of the strongest contenders to be the 'Moment of the Olympics' but there's been plenty to cherish. Somehow, this time around, there are many many silvers that will be remembered and cherished. Right from Neeraj Chopra, for winning silver with a groin injury to Zhou Yaqin's perplexed reaction on the podium, seeing the other two medalists bite their medal and proceeding to do the same for the pictures, all with so much innocence!

Soorya: Time goes by, so slowly... at least that's what Madonna's famous song 'Hung Up' says but I beg to differ if the last couple of weeks are anything to go by. It has just zoomed by with another epic edition of the Summer Olympics drawing to a close. Good time to reflect upon the best moments then, isn't it? I'd love to know from my good friends Maanas and Lavil as to what their favorite moment from Paris 2024 was and why is it Yusuf Dikec's cold, nonchalant pose en route to a silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event?

Here's what Manu Bhaker had to say after she was informed that she'd be India's flag bearer for the closing ceremony 👇

“Humbling opportunity” – Manu Bhaker ‘honoured’ to be India’s flagbearer in closing ceremony for Paris Olympics

Who's expected to be present and perform at the Paris Olympics? Click below to find out 👇

List of performers at Paris Olympics 2024 closing ceremony ft. Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg

As for the formalities, the Olympics flag will officially be handed over to the Los Angeles 2028 organisers, while all countries will participate in the parade. India's Manu Bhaker and PR Sreejesh will be the flag bearers, with the latter replacing Neeraj Chopra.

There's going to be plenty of musical performances, which will take you through past, present and future - basically portraying Olympics as a timeless classic. With Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga expected to make an appearance, it promises to be quite riveting!

Right then, what to expect here? The closing ceremony will be hosted by the State de France stadium, with the organisers deciding to host the closing ceremony the traditional way instead of on the river Seine.

India will finish the Paris Olympics with 6 medals for now. For now, since the verdict on Vinesh Phogat's disqualification appeal has been postponed to August 13th, which means even if she wins a medal, it will be post the completion of the Olympics.

After over two weeks of sporting excellence, we convene at the closing ceremony to complete proceedings of the Paris 2024 Olympics. It's been truly a memorable set of events, and it's been a pleasure taking you through all the Indian contingent's action over the course of the tournament.

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics! Plenty in store and we, at Sportskeeda, are all set to take you through all that unfolds over the course of the ceremony!