Olympics closing ceremony 2024: A guide, from show time to Tom Cruise stunt

Will the Mission: Impossible star tee up the LA Games? Will the rain return? Here's what to expect as the French prepare to say au revoir on Sunday

The Olympic torch will be extinguished as part of the closing ceremony. Bloomberg

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With the Paris Olympics past the halfway mark, attention is gradually turning towards the closing ceremony on Sunday.

After wowing the world with a spectacular opening event, featuring a heart-rending performance by Celine Dion from the Eiffel Tower, it remains to be seen if the Games can also sign off in a similar style.

While the finer details of the closing ceremony remain under wraps, here is what you can expect when the Paris Olympics says au revoir on Sunday.

1. It will take place in a stadium

After seemingly using all of Paris as a stage for the rain-soaked opening ceremony, the closing will take place within the confines of the city's biggest sporting venue, the Stade de France. Paris Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly reportedly said the occasion will be used to reflect on the magnitude of the sporting excellence witnessed over the last two weeks. He also stated more than 100 performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists are also set to join singers for various musical performances.

"The Olympic Games will be over and the Olympic flame will be extinguished," he said. "That moment will remind us just how precious these Olympic Games are, a unique monument to a shared experience, and therefore fragile.

"It is a moment of celebration and will also be an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the Olympic Games in our society. So I've designed a show in which the Olympic Games disappear once again, and someone comes along and finds them. It's a very visual, very choreographic, very acrobatic show with an operatic dimension to give a great visual fresco and say goodbye to athletes from all over the world. Together, let's make this evening a memorable and conscious celebration, honouring the past and embracing the future.”

2. It will be a 'time for a celebration'

The closing ceremony will feature a show called Records, which will take place on a 2,800 square metre stage at the Stade de France. According to the Paris Olympics president Tony Estanguet, the show will be both celebratory and solemn.

"A new page will be turned with the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games: it will be time to say goodbye to all the Olympic athletes and delegations who have thrilled us, made us dream and brought us to tears during 17 days of amazingly intense competition,” he said.

“The moment will be solemn and emotional, but it will also be a time for celebration. Finally, the pressure will be off, and everyone will be able to take full advantage of the absolutely exceptional show.”

3. What happens at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games?

While every Olympics closing ceremony has its own flavour and characteristics, they all feature fundamental protocols designed to officially close the Games while looking ahead towards the next competition four years on. Athletes will return for another parade, though this time they will come together instead of staying with their respective countries to symbolise the unity achieved from competing in the Olympics.

It has been also announced that American swimmer Katie Ledecky will be one of the flag bearers taking part in the ceremony. Ledecky is the sport's most decorated female athlete, having won four gold medals at the Games to take her total to nine.

Also part of the ceremony is the lowering of the Olympic flag and its handover to the mayor of Los Angeles, the next city to host the Games. In what will, perhaps, be the most emotional moment of the evening, the Olympic flame, which has burnt since the opening ceremony, will also be extinguished.

Also expect a cultural showcase, often involving dance and music, reflecting the culture of France as well as the next host country the US.

4. Will Tom Cruise be part of the closing ceremony?

The Mission: Impossible star has been rumoured to take part in the closing ceremony after being seen throughout the Paris Olympics cheering on the athletes at gymnastics and swimming competitions.

“It’s awesome,” Cruise told reporters. “Great stories, great athletes. It’s incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cruise may feature in the pre-recorded segment previewing Los Angeles 2028, in which he skydives to the Hollywood sign.

As part of Beijing 2008, the handover segment celebrating future host city London had guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Leona Lewis emerging from London's signature red double-decker bus for a live rendition of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, so expect Los Angeles to bring its own share of razzle dazzle to the proceedings.

5. What time and where to watch the closing ceremony in the UAE?

The closing ceremony will take place at 9pm local time in Paris (11pm UAE), ending at 11.15pm. The closing ceremony can be watched on Tod, an app from beIN Sports.