PAris beamed as the 19 days of competition at the Summer Olympics (July 26 to August 11) came to a close with an evening of musical performances at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before a roaring crowd of 71,500.
The closing ceremony began with the entry of around 9,000 athletes from 206 delegations into the stadium, led by Greece. In Paris, to live up to its nickname “City of Lights”, flashing armbands were distributed to spectators and over 1,000 projectors were integrated into the performances.
Flag bearers for the American delegation included gold medalist Nick Mead, the first flag bearer in rowing, and Katie Ledecky, the most decorated American athlete in Olympic history with 14 medals in swimming.
The USA led the medal count at the Paris Games with 126, followed by China with 91, Great Britain with 65 and France with 64.
The next Summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
Here are some photos from the 2024 graduation ceremony:
Athletes from different nations during the athletes parade.Esa Alexander—ReutersFrench President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, during the closing ceremony.John Walton – PA Images/Getty ImagesFrench swimmer Leon Marchand takes the Olympic flame out of the cauldron.Loic Venance – AFP/Getty ImagesAthletes of the French team celebrate during the closing ceremony.Rebecca Blackwell – APFrench athletes take part in the athletes parade.Luis Robayo-AFP/Getty ImagesGold medalist Sifan Hassan of Team Netherlands (centre), silver medalist Tigst Assefa of Team Ethiopia (left) and bronze medalist Hellen Obiri of Team Kenya (right) celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony in the women’s marathon at the closing ceremony.Carl Recine – Getty ImagesAthletes of Team USA enjoy the atmosphere during the closing ceremony.Michael Reaves – Getty ImagesThe choir of the Maitrise de Fontainebleau performs the French national anthem accompanied by the Orchestra Divertimento under the direction of the French conductor Zahia Ziouani.Mohd Rasfan – AFP/Getty ImagesThe “Golden Voyager” descends into the stadium.Mustafa Yalcin – Anadolu/Getty ImagesDuring the closing ceremony, the performers raise a ring.Lintao Zhang – Getty ImagesSwiss pianist Alain Roche plays Hymn To Apollo.Jamie Squire – Getty ImagesThe Olympic rings will be displayed during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.Mohd Rasfan – AFP/Getty ImagesAn overview shows the performance of the French rock band Phoenix during the closing ceremony.Julie Sebadelha-AFP/Getty ImagesThe athletes celebrate during the closing ceremony.Andy Chua – Reuters
