The USA and China finished the games with 40 gold medals each, but the USA topped the table because they had more silver medals.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise abseiled onto the roof of the Stade de France, drawing gasps from spectators as Paris said goodbye to an Olympics hailed as one of its most successful.
Cruise descended on a rope in front of 71,500 people, grabbed the Olympic flag and got on a motorbike, to the delight of athletes and fans.
In a preview of what the world can expect when the next event is held in Los Angeles in 2028, the 62-year-old Mission: Impossible star was shown on screen boarding a plane and parachuting into the Californian city before adorning the iconic Hollywood sign with the Olympic rings.
Los Angeles band Red Hot Chili Peppers, singer Billie Eilish and rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre then held a mini-concert on a Los Angeles beach framed by the Pacific Ocean.
The closing spectacle marked the beginning of the four-year countdown to the Los Angeles Games, and American gymnastics icon Simone Biles joined Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as the Olympic flag was formally handed over.
Previously, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach described the Paris Games as “sport at its best.”
“It was a sensational Olympic Games from start to finish,” said Bach. “Or dare I say: Senacional Games”, joked the head of the IOC on the River Seine, where the opening ceremony and the triathlon and marathon swimming events took place.
In what will be Bach’s last games after announcing his intention to step down next year, the IOC chief also called for “a culture of peace” in a war-torn world.
“We know that the Olympic Games cannot create peace, but the Olympic Games can create a culture of peace that inspires the world,” he said. “Let’s live this culture of peace every day.”
‘Magic’
Around 9,000 athletes danced and sang the night away during the closing ceremony, which was considered a celebration of humanity and the unifying power of sport.
“We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magical,” Paris 2024 chief organizer Tony Estanguet told the athletes. “You made us happy, you made us feel alive – the world needed this moment so much.”
The ceremony began with Leon Marchand, who won four gold medals in swimming for France, collecting the Olympic flame from the cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens to begin his journey to the stadium.
Reappearing later in the stadium to the sound of “Léon, Léon”, Marchand extinguished the flame.
The ceremony followed 17 days of breathtaking sporting action, set against a backdrop of iconic Parisian landmarks, from the Eiffel Tower to Versailles Castle.
In contrast to the rainy opening ceremony, Sunday’s celebration at the national stadium began with a golden sunset bathing the French capital.
China and the United States battled for first place until the final day, when the US women’s basketball team defeated France 67-66 to win the final gold at Paris 2024.
The victory, USA women’s basketball’s eighth consecutive Olympic title, gave the country its fourth gold, the same as China. The USA topped the medal table, however, because they had more silver and medals.
At a press conference on Sunday, Zhou Jinqiang, deputy head of the Chinese delegation, praised the country’s athletes for their “record performance” as they took home a total of 91 medals.
“This marks the best result for China in the Olympic Games held abroad since it began participating in the 1984 Summer Olympics,” Zhou said. China won 100 medals and topped the table with the most gold medals when it hosted the 2008 Beijing games.
Japan, which hosted the last Olympics in 2020, also celebrated its best overseas Games performance, coming third with 20 gold medals.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
