Paris basks in glory of successful Olympics and spectacular closing ceremony

Many hope France will be gripped by similar excitement for the August 28-September 8 Paralympic Games

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  Tom Cruise abseiled from the roof of the Stade de France at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. AFP

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  Cruise was then handed the Olympic flag by Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, where the next Games will be held in 2028. AFP

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  The actor affixed the flag to a motorbike before footage of him racing to LA was shown. Getty Images

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  It was one of the most spectacular stunts in Olympic history. Getty Images

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are over and France is basking in the glory of its success in hosting them amid spectacular historic landmarks with no major glitches.

Organisers enjoyed an "I told you so" moment after naysayers were proven wrong and France was gripped at the last-minute by the excitement of the Games, as its athletes broke previous medal records.

"For two weeks, the air was lighter," said President Emmanuel Macron on Monday in a speech at the Elysee Palace.

"Everyone told us we couldn't do it. Thank you, you did it," he said, speaking to representatives of those who worked on the Olympics, including police officers, medical staff and firefighters.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet described his job as a "marathon against the pessimists and all those who predicted a catastrophe".

"The Games were even better than imagined," he said in a radio interview.

Sweaty but happy, crowds walked out of the Stade de France, the main Olympic stadium, on Sunday evening after a spectacular closing ceremony, still high from the excitement of dancing the night away with 9,000 athletes.

The handover to Los Angeles 2028 was embodied by the dramatic appearance of Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, who abseiled into the stadium.

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  Actor Tom Cruise carries the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Reuters

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  A fireworks display during the closing ceremony at Stade de France. Getty images

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  Cruise was part of the star-studded event. AFP

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  The actor left the stadium with the Olympic flag on a motorbike. AFP

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  Dancers perform during the event at Stade de France. Getty Images

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  American singer Her sang the USA's national anthem. Getty Images

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  French singer-songwriter Yseult was one of the performers of the night. AFP

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  International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, left, and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe presented the medals for the women's marathon. AFP

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  Athletes arrive for the closing ceremony. PA

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  French President Emmanuel Macron was also in attendance. EPA

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  French athletes pass one of their host down the line at the ceremony. Reuters

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  Women's marathon gold medallist, Sifan Hassan from Netherlands. AFP

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  Flagbearers parade at the ceremony. AP

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  Angolan canoeist Benilson Sanda at the ceremony. AFP

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  French athletes bid farewell to the rest of the world. Reuters

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  Nigerian athletes at the closing ceremony. AFP

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  Saudi athletes join in the festivities. EPA

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  India's flagbearers, shooter Manu Bhaker, right, and field hockey player Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran, at the closing ceremony. Reuters

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  China's contingent of athletes enters the arena. Reuters

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  Canada's athletes celebrate. AFP

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  A huge Stade de France crowd watches as the athletes parade. Reuters

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  French singer Zaho de Sagazan performs Under the Paris Sky at the ceremony. Getty Images

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  The athletes gather in the stadium for the closing ceremony. Reuters

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  The Japanese contingent waves to the crowds. AP

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  Team Algeria joins the celebrations. Getty Images

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  French swimmer Leon Marchand carries the Olympic flame. Getty Images

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  Athletes enter the stadium en masse, instead of being separated by countries for the closing ceremony. AFP

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  A performance by an orchestra at the event. Reuters

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  Sharon Van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands won a gold medal for the swimming marathon. AFP

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  Saudi athletes at the event. AFP

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  President Macron and his wife Brigitte were among the spectators of the ceremony. PA

The Mission Impossible actor landed right beside people sitting in the front row, including Jeremy, 37, and his mother Therese, 68.

Their T-shirts drenched in sweat and a smile plastered on their faces, Jeremy and Therese walked in the hot summer night towards the nearest metro station, where volunteers greeted the crowd with placards that read "thank you" and "see you soon".

"It was one big party. It felt good," said Jeremy. Their front-row seats meant they were able to mingle with athletes as they celebrated their wins under the eyes of 80,000 spectators and about 9.5 million television viewers.

An image of French swimmer Leon Marchand is projected on to a Paris building as the fireworks of the Olympic closing ceremony are seen blasting out of the Stade de France. Getty Images

The reputation of Paris, already one of the world's most popular destinations, has been further enhanced abroad.

"I’ve been here a couple days and haven’t seen so many beautiful things in my entire life,’ said Edmund Sin, 27, from New York.

There was beach volleyball in front of the Eiffel Tower, fencing and taekwondo under the glass vaults of the Grand Palais and an enchanting golden hot-air balloon carrying the Olympic flame hovering above the Tuileries Gardens every night.

All the competitions scheduled to take place in the Seine river went ahead despite concerns over its polluted water after a clean-up effort that cost €1.4 billion ($1.53 billion).

Hosting successful mass sporting events in places designed for vastly different purposes hundreds of years ago was a feat that was saluted around the world.

"The Olympics needed a reset. Merci Paris for providing it," wrote The Washington Post. Meanwhile, The Telegraph described the Games as "sumptuous, seductive and laced with scandal".

There were some glitches but not enough to derail the Games. A few hours before the opening ceremony, part of the railway network was hit by sabotage, raising fears of security attacks. It was quickly fixed.

France was thrilled by the open-air opening ceremony along the Seine despite some complaints in conservative circles over apparent disrespect of Christian biblical scenes. This interpretation was rejected by organisers who said they wanted to celebrate diversity.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, left, and president of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee Tony Estanguet during the closing ceremony. AFP

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif became embroiled in a gender eligibility controversy and filed a harassment complaint in France. Her gold medal and her wide smile at the closing ceremony trumped the bitterness caused by the row. Fans outside the stadium said they were proud of her.

"She has been the target of racists, transphobes and Islamophobes," said Nabil, 22, who came without a ticket to the closing ceremony to enjoy the atmosphere, wearing an Algeria football shirt. "She's a source of pride for Algeria."

Many hope France will be gripped by similar excitement for the Paralympics, which will run from August 28-September 8.

Yet sales have been slow, with more than a million tickets – roughly half the total – left unsold. Mr Estanguet said on Monday that momentum was picking up and tickets were selling five times faster than before the Olympic Games started.

But there is a creeping feeling that the best part of the party has come to a close. "It feels weird to think these Olympic Games are over," added Mr Estanguet.